Recipes

A Maitai has 4 main ingredients all of which are readily available at any liquor store and/or supermarket:

•

Juice or Syrup

Most recipes and many bars use simple syrup which is just sugar dissolved in water! A bit of lime juice is added with some fresh fruit. Fresh juice is much more natural and refreshing! A pineapple juice base with a little lime is not only more refreshing, it’s more natural. See the recipes below for instructions.

•

Rum

Three different types can be used in a Maitai: silver, gold, and dark. Each type and each brand have their own flavors and strengths. Darker rums have more character and flavor. This is typically produced by aging, but additives can also be added to produce the color. Koloa brand rum, made in Kauai Hawaii is an excellent choice. Their dark rum is sweet and smooth - perfect for a Maitai. Koloa describes their dark blend as follows: “This vanilla-driven dark rum sings from the nose to the glass exactly. It presents itself with robust flavors of vanilla, dark semi- sweet chocolate and lightly finishes with espresso, all encompassed within a dry, highly flavorful dark rum.” Koloa describes their gold rum as follows: “This soft, candy-like gold rum presents itself boldly with no pretenses other than being a good-tasting gold rum. The mouth feel is viscous with an upfront caramel blast that finishes with vanilla, light macadamia nut brittle and toasted almond.” For more about Koloa rums, made in Hawaii visit their website. Meyers dark is often used in better bars for the dark rum topping. It’s a bit stronger flavored than the Koloa and not as sweet. Both are excellent choices. Dark rum is the topping for the Maitai; it provides that enchanting dark color. It’s the first thing you taste so it needs to be a quality beverage. Less expensive brands add coloring instead of aging to produce the gold and dark colors. More information about rum flavors and quality is available here.

•

Liqueur

Orange liqueur is used here. It comes in many brands, each has its own characteristics. Triplesec and Orange Curaçao are the most common. They create that rich tropical blend, and add a little more punch as well. Cointreu or even Grand Marnier can also be used. For more information read this article from alcademics.com. Orange Curaçao is very popular since it is orange in color providing a nice appearance to the beverage mix. Triplesec is colorless, has a crisper/sweeter flavor, and has less alcohol content than other types of orange liqueur. Either or both can be used depending on your desired taste and strengh. Lilikoi or Passion Fruit liqueur can be substituted for the Orange liqueur to create a delicious tropical paradise Maitai. This is a great variation on the traditional Maitai. See recipe 4 below. Any of these liqueurs can be used in a Maitai. Experiment and find your perfect blend.

•

Mystery Ingredient

Orgeat syrup, an almond extract rounds out a good Maitai and helps to give it that distinct, rich, and unique flavor. Surprisingly, it is used in many other cocktails too.

Recipe 1 - Medium Strengh and Taste

This is a standard mix, similar to what you get in a good bar. Inexpensive bars and restaurants, especially at happy hour use inferior products and the taste will suffer. Select quality ingredients for a superior cocktail: 1 ounce gold rum 2 ¼ tablespoons pineapple juice 2 teaspoons lime juice ½ ounce Orange Curaçao or Triplesec 1 teaspoon Orgeat syrup Mix and poor over crushed ice. Then add ½ ounce of dark rum over the top. Add a slice of lemon and you’ve got heaven!

Recipe 2 - Strong A.F. Maitai

Although silver rum is the same percent alcohol, for many people it seems to pack a bigger punch so beware. 1 ounce gold rum 1 ounce silver rum 2 ¼ tablespoons pineapple juice 2 teaspoons lime juice ½ ounce Orange Curaçao or Triplesec 1 teaspoon Orgeat syrup Same as above; mix and poor over crushed ice then top with dark rum and a lemon slice. Don’t try this one if you have to drive anywhere soon! You can easily tame this cocktail by cutting the silver and gold rum to ½ ounce each.

Recipe 3: Maitai Light

Recently a family member was curious about Maitai’s but didn’t want anything strong. Here is a delicious recipe for a “light” Maitai with only ½ ounce of liquor: 2 ounces pineapple juice 2 teaspoons lime juice 2 teaspoons orgeat syrup ¼ ounce Orange Curaçao or Triplesec Mix, pour over crushed ice, top off with ¼ ounce dark rum and add fresh lemon slice for garnish! This recipe was a big hit with the cautious relative!

Recipe 4 - Tropical Paradise aka Lilikoi

Maitai

Same mix as above, except substitute Lilikoi (more commonly known at Passion Fruit) liqueur for the Orange Curaçao. Good Lilikoi liqueur is hard to come by, so syrup can also be used. Monin makes a good product that can also be used to sweeten ice tea for refreshing change. Here’s a recipe for a great cocktail featuring Monin lililoi syrup: 1 ounce gold rum 2 ¼ tablespoons pineapple juice 1 teaspoons lime juice 1 ½ teaspoons Monin syrup 2 teaspoons Orgeat syrup Since this mix is missing the liqueur, to increase strength use Koloa Reserve Rum which has a higher percent alcohol. This will also alter the flavor slightly. Mix well and pour over crushed ice. Add ½ ounce or more of dark rum and garnish with fresh fuit.

 NEW  Recipe 5 - A Warmer Citrus

Flavor with a Wonderful Balance

This is based on a Maitai served at a famous restaurant in Honolulu. Adding Triplesec creates a very different flavor. Bartender.com states “it adds a fresh, zesty note while drawing out the flavors of the other ingredients”. Needless to say it was a big hit! Inquiries were made and with that information and much experimentation, the following delicious blend was created: 1 ounce pineapple juice ½ ounce orange juice ¼ ounce orgeat syrup 1 ounce Triplesec 1 ounce gold Rum ½ ounce orange Curaçao Mix, pour over crushed ice, and add a dark rum float with garnish. With Triplesec and orange juice in the base and more orgeat syrup, this amazing blend nearly obscures the alcohol taste - it’s a marvelous miraculous mix! A flavor sensation! A sure winner good to the last drop!

 NEW  Recipe 6 - Mo'i (King’s)

Maitai

Using only the best ingredients, this one is fit for a King! Grand Marnier, a premium spirit is used in place of Curacao for a more refined flavor. Grand Marnier is a blend of cognac and essence of wild oranges from the Caribbean that has a distinctive rich flavor that has a higher alcohol content that Curaçao or Triplesec. Grand Marnier is both sweet and bitter creating a ultra smooth balanced and rich cocktail as follows: 1 ounce pineapple juice ¼ ounce orgeat syrup ½ ounce Triplesec ½ ounce Grand Marnier 1 ounce gold Rum Mix, pour over crushed ice, and add a dark rum float with garnish. This one really is a home run! A premium cocktail sensation sure to please! This is a potent cocktail with a strong flavor. To lighten up both the flavor and strength, cut the Grand Marnier to ½ ounce and add ½ ounce of Triplesec.

Maitai Mixes

There are a few good pre-made drink mixes if you don’t have the time or want too many bottles around: • Koloa produces two nice pre-made mixes. Their house brand is 17% alchohol, so no additional rum needs to be added. Top off with fresh pineapple and it’s good to go. • Koloa’s second blend has the “Kukui” brand name. This is a great blend that contains no alcohol. Just mix with gold rum, and top off with dark rum and garnish and you’re good to go. • Trader Vic’s makes a tasty one too. Its only 10% alcohol, so topping off with dark rum makes a decent layered Maitai. • Fresh fruit garnish is a must for the mixes. Pineapple is awesome, but orange or lemon is great too, especially if fresh pineapple is not readily available.

General Notes:

• Avoid using Grenadine as a sweetener - you’re not making a sunrise! • Experimentation is the key to success. Everyone has their own taste. Change the mix proportions of the pineapple and lime juices to suit your pallet: a little more lime juice can dramatically change the flavor to a more neutral or sharper flavor. Different types and flavors of Rum can also change the flavor quite a bit. • If you prefer a stronger drink, add a half ounce or more of silver rum into the mix, or just use recipe number 2 for a strong A.F Maitai!