This was the view from our room.
Do you think you'd get tired of this? I didn't. And to prove it, I have about two dozen versions of the exact same photo taken from every possible angle and at every hour of the day. Sun rise, sunset, midday, dark. With billowing coconut trees and misty tropical rain.
Seriously, I must have had close to a half-dozen Mai-Tais this trip, way more than any girl should consume in one vacation. Last February when we visited Hawaii, my drink of choice was the Pina Colada. I dreamed Pina Colada. But this trip it was the Mai Tai. Maybe because it's dark hue and sweet-tart taste reminded me a bit of these late days of summer?
According to See Mix Drink by Brian D. Murphy, the Mai Tai was invented by Trader Vic in 1944. Vic concocted the drink one afternoon for friends who were visiting from Tahiti. After tasting it, one friend exclaimed, "Maita'i roa ae!" which means "Out of this world!" Vic liked what he heard and decided to name the drink the Mai Tai.
To make your own Mai Tai you need the following:
1/2 oz. Oregat Syrup
1/2 oz. Orange Curacao
1/2 oz. Lime juice
1 oz. Light Rum
1 oz. Dark Rum
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and a triangular hunk of fresh pineapple (the pineapple is not optional).
If you make a Mai-Tai at home, I highly suggest dressing them up a bit. The one in the above photo is missing the tiny neon umbrella -- something I consider to be The Essential Mai-Tai accessory.
I feel like this could be the drink of the year... And for the record, so much more appealing than the versions at the Asian buffet I grew up with in New Hampshire. Not that I was old enough to drink the stuff legally, but aside from the umbrella, which was cool, they were essentially kool-aid spiked with cheap booze and disgusting. Such a shame really.
ReplyDeleteI never would have thought to make a Mai Tai. It's such a good drink, though! A Hawaiian favorite. Cheers!! xo
ReplyDeleteI love this! Let's make the Mai Tai the drink of the year!
ReplyDeleteI actually have been thinking it would be kind of fun to have a winter party with tropical drinks? We'll all be ready for a burst of sunshine, that's for sure.