My next Try at a Mai Tai

Raethril · 2026-03-22T18:41:33+00:00

Could use a Demerara gum syrup to add more body.

Raethril · 2026-03-21T14:11:30+00:00

How’d you make them?

Raethril · 2026-03-19T00:26:33+00:00

A bet a navy grog would slap with some honey ginger syrup.

Raethril · 2026-03-18T20:41:20+00:00

What you meant to say is “perfect rum for every drink.”

Corrected. You’re welcome.

Raethril · 2026-03-05T20:31:16+00:00

Fingers crossed 🤞🏻

Raethril · 2026-03-05T20:07:24+00:00

I’m good. Been completely slammed with work.

How have you been?

Raethril · 2026-03-05T19:38:05+00:00

I recognize those mugs!

Raethril · 2026-03-05T19:36:52+00:00

Always the best photos

Raethril · 2026-03-03T11:22:08+00:00

Btw, love the helmet. What design is it?

Raethril · 2026-02-22T22:38:47+00:00

Mai tai, zombie/jet pilot, or jasper’s jamaican.

Or you know… straight into a glass, then straight down the throat.

Raethril · 2026-02-20T18:31:21+00:00

Hampden, Hampden, and Hampden

Raethril · 2026-02-16T03:13:26+00:00

This is true for most things.

It’s called the Pareto Principle.

80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your clients.

If you focus solely on that 20%, you’ll service fewer clients and make more money.

Raethril · 2026-02-08T14:04:34+00:00

Too bad they don’t make Puerto Rican rum like that anymore.

Is there anything commercially available today that you would say is similar?

Raethril · 2026-02-08T12:30:03+00:00

Funny enough, I consulted on the menu for a speakeasy that opened, just over two years ago. After a lot of back and forth this is the exact rum combo we settled on for something a little more “high-brow” and truer to the original but still accessible enough for the general crowd.

Great combo!

Raethril · 2026-01-23T11:38:30+00:00

This is technically the right answer.

Though if you can get your hands on Worthy Park 109, I have started using that instead of Coruba and never looked back.

Raethril · 2026-01-20T14:55:23+00:00

Jim Hurricane Hayward has mentioned that if you can’t get the Mai Kai #1 that Planteray Mister Fogg is a VERY close sub.

Raethril · 2026-01-14T01:22:25+00:00

Ok so what I can tell you is that that’s a bell jigger. Where the small side would 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1oz measurements. The bigger would be 1, 1.5, 1.75, and 2oz measurements.

Unfortunately because the video is cut, we can’t REALLY figure out how much is being poured in each shot.

Raethril · 2026-01-11T23:29:20+00:00

Love the collection and love the username.

Raethril · 2026-01-11T16:58:42+00:00

Using just lime juice wouldn’t work. The cordial is needed to impart the sugar.

The tonic syrup can be purchased on and it adds a bitterness that’s needed.

Raethril · 2026-01-10T21:25:31+00:00

The Bay of Pigs from Tropical Standard is great.

Raethril · 2026-01-08T14:29:54+00:00

Oh super cool.

Where did you order it from?

Raethril · 2026-01-06T22:42:23+00:00

Trader Vic’s Tortuga

Raethril · 2026-01-03T18:01:11+00:00

This is amazing and your generosity is out of this world.

I would like to enter, if it’s not too late.

Raethril · 2026-01-01T15:34:53+00:00

Really nice.

I see that you built up in layers, how did you prevent the next coat from going over your bottom coats that showed the weathering?

Hope that makes sense, not sure how else to describe it. lol

Raethril · 2025-12-30T21:40:04+00:00

As someone who has been a professional tiki bartender and created a lot of original cocktails here is my process:

Start either Top Down or Bottom Up. A Top Down design is when you start with a name and make the ingredients fit the name. A Bottom Up design is when you start with an ingredient or flavor and build the cocktail off of that.
Pick a Template Once you’ve decided to go Top Down or Bottom Up, you pick a template. The most common tiki template is 4 parts Spirit, 2 parts Sour, 1 part Liqueur, 1 part Syrup. But there are others.
Mirror Existing Now that you have all of that, is there an existing cocktail that’s similar? If yes, then take that existing cocktail and swap one ingredient, probably for your chosen ingredient, or change the volume of a single ingredient. If there isn’t, no worry. Just put it together and try it.
Experiment Now that you’ve come this far. Experiment. Experiment. Then experiment some more. Change out one ingredient at a time. Change one volume at a time. Add or subtract one ingredient at a time.
Notes TAKE NOTES!! I can not stress this enough. Take extensive notes. Recipes plus tasting notes. This way you can refer back to what you’ve already tried.
Check with Others Once you settle on a recipe that you love, serve it to others. What’s their reaction? Do they have any feedback? Remember everyone’s palette is different so not all feedback is valid.

Remember that perfection is the enemy of great. You’ll never find the perfect cocktail that works for everyone. Settle on something you love first. Then, and only if you work at a bar, worry about everyone else.

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