READY IN 27 mins

The Perfect Mai Tai

Read Reviews (70)

"The perfect Spring or Summer drink. Tried and tested for over 12 years now. and always a crowd favorite! This recipe yields one gallon!! Use a 1 gallon sun tea jar for serving!" — 7MICK

Directions

In a large jar or drink cooler, combine the light rum, dark rum, 151 rum, orange liqueur, almond syrup, simple syrup, and lime juice. Stir and top off with orange juice. Do not use grenadine if you want the true Mai Tai! Serve in 8 to 12 ounce glasses with ice.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
COOK 7 mins
READY IN 27 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Aug 05, 2008

This is good stuff. I made it for my dad's retirement party that was jimmy buffett themed & i think even jimmy would agree it was delicious! wouldn't change a thing.. ps to below asking was simple syrup is: Simple syrup, or sugar syrup, is very easy to make and is used in many cocktails such as Jell-O Shots, Daiquiris and Hurricanes to add volume and sweetness. With this recipe you can make as small or as large a batch as you wish and store it in the refrigerator in a well sealed bottle indefinitely. Ingredients: 2 parts sugar 1 part water Preparation: Bring the water to a boil. Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water. Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool completely and bottle.

—CookingGirl

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jun 24, 2006

Equal out the portions of Light & Dark rums - drop the 151 rum (unless you're going to 'float' it) and lose the orange juice - they you have a REAL Mai Tai! By the way, the Almond syrup is Orgeat and is available from many sources online.

—William

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80 Ratings

May 26, 2006

I sure hope more than 4 people have tried this recipe for the perfect mai tai, because that's exactly what it is, simply PERFECT. This is absolutely a crowd pleaser...I mean no one walks away after having made this for them without begging and pleading for this recipe and amazing their friends with it too. Try it, I promise you'll like it. No substitutions needed. This one by far is my absolute favorite mixed drink home or at restaurants.

—csr12621

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Apr 16, 2008

Amazing find. Alcohol is well hidden in amazing combination that creates a bright, smooth drink. To keep things sweet, I used a combination of regular limes and key limes for the juice - just juiced 5 regular limes, then over a dozen key limes to get an equal amount of juice. For the orange liqueur, I used about 3 shots of Grand Marnier, then filled up the rest of the cup with cheap BOLS triple sec. For the OJ, I used store-bought "not from concentrate" orange juice to save time. The almond syrup really added a unique twist taste, and should not be missed. Also, to save money and make sure it was not too strong, I followed the suggestions of others and replaced the 151 proof rum with a combo of the light and dark. Tasted amazing the first day, lost a bit of it's bright, fruity taste the next day; so I'd suggest you avoid storing it.

—R0BLARSON1984

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Jul 08, 2008

ooohh be careful with this one! Mai Tais are the one drink that really creep up on you. I served 2 pitchers at a 4th of July grill and everyone was silly drunk. Per other peoples suggestions, I used half the syrups, and eliminated the 151 rum. Really not necessary. I also added a little pineapple juice. They were really sweet drinks, but rum had a real strong punch. The sweetness wasnt too sweet, and perfectly masked the booze, so we drank these things like water and next thing you know... well it was a great party. Also: dont ever bother buying the pre made bottles of simple syrup. All it consists of is equal parts sugar and water. Boil 1 cup water then add 1 cup sugar. I love this recipe!!!

—MANDI

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May 20, 2009

Made a batch of these this weekend and loved them. I used Cointreau in place of the curacao. You can find Orgeat syrup (almond)at most coffee houses ie; Zaks or cowboy coffee. It is made by Torani. And for the lady who thought it was a lot of work squeezing all those limes, just replace it with lime cordial (its about an 1/8 of a cup per lime. With all these ingredients you can't tell the difference at all. We drink it with different blends of juices, pineapple, mango, orange ect. they all taste really good. Cheers!

—TINALLLL

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May 11, 2008

This was a HUGE hit at my reception. There was not one drop left. As others have stated I omitted the 151 and used 2 cups light and 2 cups dark rum, Triple sec for the orange curacao, Ameretto, lime cordial, simple syrup, and bottled orange juice. Mixed all in a punch bowl and chilled for a few hours. Definitely a winner!!

—2BCREATIVE

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Jun 10, 2008

This was a very nice cocktail and so festive looking; looks are deceiving though--it will kick your butt if you're not paying attention to how much you're consuming! As others, I did not use the 151 proof, and just divided equally between the dark and light rum. One cup of the almond flavored syrup was overpowering; next time I will cut back to 1/2 cup, sample the drink, and then increase the amount if needed. Same goes for the simple syrup. (I think I just have sour tastebuds.) We will be enjoying again! Thank you.

—KATYPI

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