Mai Tai

When I was researching Trader Vic (see Scorpion recipe), I came across Vic's claim that he invented a drink called the Mai Tai. It turns out that his rival and fellow restaurateur, Don the Beachcomber, also claimed credit. I looked at as many old recipes for Mai Tai as I could find, including several different renditions from Trader Vic, and ended up preferring a version from Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, otherwise known as Don the Beachcomber.

Texas-born Gantt, who later would legally change his name to Donn Beach, bummed around the Caribbean and South Pacific as a young man. When he eventually settled in Hollywood in the 1930s, he opened a Polynesian-themed restaurant called Don the Beachcomber where he served appetizers and rum drinks, including the Mai Tai (which means "good" in Polynesian).

My interpretation of Don the Beachcomber's Mai Tai includes an important ingredient called falernum, which is a sweet, gently spiced flavoring that is used in dozens of Caribbean punches. You can buy it, but it's really easy to make it (see the recipe below).

P.S. You can buy the drink umbrellas shown above from a website called—what else?—Cocktail Umbrellas.

Mai Tai

Makes 8 servings
You can get falernum in well-stocked liquor stores, places that cater to tiki party stuff, or the Fee Brothers website (under "Cordial Syrups"). I ordered from Fee Brothers and tasted their version so I could come up with a homemade substitute. The recipe follows below.

3 cups gold rum
3/4 cup lime juice
3/4 cup cointreau or other orange liqueur
6 tablespoons falernum, store-bought or homemade (recipe follows)
8 cups crushed ice
1/2 cup dark rum

In a 2-quart pitcher, combine the gold rum, lime juice, cointreau and falernum, and chill. For each drink, pour about 2/3 cup of the chilled mixture into a double old-fashioned glass filled halfway with crushed ice. Top with 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) dark rum (and a cocktail umbrella, of course).

Falernum
This sweet syrup is a staple ingredient in many Caribbean punches (and the basis for the flavors of those commercial spiced rums).

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water and allspice. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Let cool to room temperature, then stir in the lime juice and vanilla. Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 1 cup