Mai Tai Cocktail

Name: Mai Tai Cocktail
Total time: 5 min
Yield: Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients: ¼ cup pineapple juice; 2 tablespoons white rum; 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime); 1 tablespoon (½ oz.) dry orange Curaçao; 1 tablespoon orgeat syrup or simple syrup; 1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice; 1 tabelspoon (½ oz.) dark rum; Mint sprig, maraschino cherry, pineapple slice, for serving

10 Ratings
4 Reviews

Learn how to make the best mai tai recipe for a day on the beach.

By Paige Grandjean

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Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

hands-on:

5 mins

total:

5 mins

Yield:

Makes 1 cocktail

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This pretty Mai Tai cocktail is fruity and refreshing. If you're wondering how to make the best Mai Tai (or what's in a Mai Tai), you've come to the right place. Each Mai Tai ingredient adds depth and flavor to the tropical cocktail. The tart lime juice balances the sweet pineapple juice, and orgeat syrup (a sweet almond-flavored syrup) offers a base note to anchor the flavors together. Feel free to replace the orgeat with simple syrup and a drop of almond extract, which will mimic the almond undertones. Though we call for dark rum in the recipe, we tested it with white rum, and it was just as delicious. Make this easy Mai Tai recipe while you're relaxing on the beach—or if you just want to pretend you are.

Ingredients

¼ cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons white rum
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
1 tablespoon (½ oz.) dry orange Curaçao
1 tablespoon orgeat syrup or simple syrup
1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice
1 tabelspoon (½ oz.) dark rum
Mint sprig, maraschino cherry, pineapple slice, for serving

Directions

Step 1
Combine pineapple juice, rum, lime juice, Curaçao, orgeat, and cherry juice in a cocktail shaker.

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Step 2
Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
Step 3
Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with dark rum, and garnish with mint, cherry, and pineapple.

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Real Simple Member

02/23/2022

Unfortunately this article does more harm than good, it furthers the wrong recipe...

Might make a decent drink but it's not a mai tai, if you have an online recipe blog you have a responsibility to provide accurate recipes with the proper names and ingredients.

Please research the Trader Vic's Mai Tai and Beachbum Berry's books on this. No Pineapple or OJ included in a mai tai...

dsiah

07/27/2021

I liked this Mai Tai but honestly it can be half as sweet and work just as well. I'd recommend halfing the simple syrup in the recipe (or even omit it!)

Real Simple Member

05/16/2021

Thanks this is so much better with the chocolate liqueur! And I find the Kracken dark rum float works great. Thanks!

wlse523f57f81e8

11/07/2018

Pineapple juice is not used in a Mai Tai, just lime juice. There should be 2 ounces of rum, half Appleton Dark Rum, half Rhum Clément VSOP, but you could substitute 2 ounces Appleton Gold Rum. See Jeff 'Beachbum' Berry.

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Mai Tai Cocktail

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Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Reviews (4)

All Reviews for Mai Tai Cocktail

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Mai Tai Cocktail

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Reviews (4)

All Reviews for Mai Tai Cocktail