My Tai

6:30 is cocktail o'clock and I love Mai Tais. The fruity and potent mix is a great aperitif to get you started, though with 2 down the cooking becomes slightly impaired....

There's a commercial bar mix Mai Tai invented by Victor Bergeron (of the famous Trader Vic cocktail restaurants) which originally used 17yr old J.Wray and Nephew rum but when it was introduced to Hawaii in the early 50's it was so successful that it exhausted the whole world's supply of the lovely 17 year stuff, so the cocktail had to be reinvented with a blend of rums.  I love a bit of history with my cocktail.

I use an edited 'bar-mix' version (I add OJ and get rid of the 1/3 msr of Almond syrup but each to their own)

- 1msr white rum
- 1msr dark rum
- 2/3 msr triple sec (Cointreau)
- 1/3 msr sugar syrup (** make your own...)
- 1/4 msr grenadine
- 1msr OJ
- juice of 1 lime


- Shake all ingredients with ice, and pour over a cocktail glass of crushed ice. Garnish with spent lime shell.

** Sugar Syrup Recipe
2 parts water, 1 part sugar
- Bring water to the boil, stir in sugar and mix constantly. When all sugar is dissolved remove pan from the heat. Allow to cool then store.


If that doesn't do it for you this is a version of a Cosmo

- 2msr Vodka
- 1msr triple sec (Cointreau)
- 1msr Cranberry
- juice of half a lime.

Composition as above. Because there's 1/2 a lime you may as well make 2. The cranberry's got to be good for you. Have one in the bath.