A simple yet delicious 2 bottle Mai Tai

[@makeanddrink]

Working link to glassware: makeanddrinkshop.bigcartel.com/

[@stinkdog]

Excellent, thanks!

[@MrMoney331]

"Something interesting happened during this taste test......we all got wasted" 😆

[@makeanddrink]

Well yes….. BUT, I did split each of the full 9 Mai Tais into 4 tastings, so we each only had a few drinks

[@MrMoney331]

@@makeanddrink Smart!

[@rickduarte9940]

Thanks for a great month of history and recipes of one of the best drinks ever created.

[@thebaseballjones]

Not the world's greatest Mai Tai, This is a tribute to the world's greatest Mai Tai! Great series and channel. Thank you

[@parunyoolawtrakulngam3170]

Amazed me that I made Mai Tai for myself yesterday on the Mai Tai Day! Without knowing it’s a Mai Tai day. My first in a few months.

[@EddieRicks-i8v]

This drink 🍹 is on of my favorites 😊. Thanks for making the video.

[@MrHavy09]

Wow! Pretty eye opening with the Orange Liqueur: I've used Pierre Ferrand Dry Cur historically but will probably check out the Creole Shrub and Grand Marnier. Really like the inclusion of Demerara Style Rum in the Mai Tai; I would say the only difference for me is that I add Demerara Syrup in my Mai Tai

[@makeanddrink]

And I’m sure not everyone will agree on the PF. In fact, my wife liked it better than the others. But the agricole ones offer a unique flavor and sweetness

[@als.2983]

Deep dive into Orange Liqueur is much appreciated. Just curious, did you find any other split orange liqueur combinations you liked nearly as much as the Clement+Grand Marnier split?

[@makeanddrink]

Those “top 3” were the only ones I tried splitting, but I think there could some cool things to explore especially with Cointreau which is one of my faves.

[@Anorockz]

Great video as always, Derek! Just some tips: make the shop and patreon links in the description clickable! Makes them easier to access. Secondly, on Patreon, the post with the shop promo code is visible in the preview meaning even non-patrons can see it, as the first couple of post lines are visible for everyone. Best add some lines before the code to move it outside the preview! Can't wait to try this Mai Tai 🍹

[@makeanddrink]

THANK YOU. This is all new and some things can't even see until they are live. Appreciate your heads up!

[@stevenvanderville2589]

This is the greatest video ever. Fussy, insistent, detail-oriented, anal retentive in the best way.... and I love every minute of it. Glassware purchased without hesitation! Thanks for a great month of mai tai deep dives, Derek.

[@makeanddrink]

Ha! Yeah that’s how I roll. Let’s spend 10 minutes on the orange liqueur. As for the rum, I’m using this one because it’s my favorite and no other explanation.

[@brandonschwindt7547]

Thanks!

[@makeanddrink]

Thanks so much!

[@Vicandiers]

you're definitely going places. Amazing production quality and great in-detail recipes. Also love the fact you do blind taste tests for a lot of the ingredients. Keep it up

[@wflattop1]

The most wonderful thing about the mai tai is how responsive it is to different brands and styles in the ingredients. I recently batched mai tais for a summer party and in the interest of keeping expense down for a group of tiki novices, i used Gran Gala for the orange. It was wonderful. I will have to do my own blind test

[@wheremagicbeginsnow]

Living in EU, has its privileges and we have JM Sbrubb in my local Slijterij. Before making the Mai Tai, I decided to also do a taste test of my “orange liquors”. Seriously, the JM Shrubb is so smooth compared to the rest of them which surprised me. I’m going to try the JM shrubb in margaritas also to see. But back to the Mai Tai, boozy yes, but wow not only do I taste the JM Shrubb but now the Orgeat comes through and is not too sweet or sour. In my opinion, find the JM Shrubb if you can, it allows all the others to come through without overpowering the cocktail. Good job on this recipe.😊

[@makeanddrink]

Thanks for sharing! As for JM smoothness…. I think it has more sugar than the others. Not sure, but I’ll be brix testing all of them. It’s a simple test as a brix meter alone can’t be trusted because of the alcohol content, but I’ve seen some formulas on how to calculate. I’ll save that for an Orange liqueur video.

[@willpearce4931]

Lately my go-to rum combo has been 3/4 oz each of Hamilton 86 and Rhum Barbancourt 8yr and 1/2 oz of Smith & Cross. I've been using Clement Creole Shrubb almost exclusively since I was able to get some, but the TS Clement/Grand Marnier split is quickly becoming a favorite. Really enjoyed this series!

[@makeanddrink]

I’ll be trying that rum blend for sure. I find Clement on its own is a little too sweet and too intense of a flavor. Could obviously dial it down, but mixing with Grand Marnier works wonders.

[@vdevov]

Late to the party. Just made this drink. You mentioned somewhere in this that this is more on the mild side, and I agree. I’m not a mild tiki drink guy, but I know friends that are, so I will be making this for them in future.

[@PatrickJaszewski]

This Mai Tai month has been awesome, Derek. Thank you! I'll try yours tonight!

[@davyjones99]

Thanks for a great Mai Tai month! Really enjoyed all the videos and looking forward to more.

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you 🙏

[@f2343]

Derek you da man!!! I hope you have much success on your channel and able to grow! Just don’t forget who supported you in the beginning 😅 good luck to you.

[@makeanddrink]

Never!

[@neil_chazin]

Oh I think I found where they have the JM Shrubb and I think I’m due a visit. Also bought some glasses, a couple of more mai tai glasses are always good. Edit - been waiting for that Patreon and also congrats on 6k subscribers.

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you so much. Appreciate the support!

[@nathansinger1171]

Great video. Looking forward to trying it. I've been wanting to set up an orange liqueur tasting for some time. You're really inspiring me here.

[@makeanddrink]

It’s a fun journey

[@theolderbrother]

I’ve Also swapped the PF Dry Curaçao for Agricole Schrub in my Mai Tais. But I like mine a bit bolder in rum flavour so I split 2:1 between Hampden 8 and Clement 10 (four cl Hampden, 2 cl Clement). Then sub a third of the Orgeat with demerara rich simple syrup.

[@theolderbrother]

Also*

[@Mayday6971]

I loved watching all the videos for Mai Tai month! My wife wants to know where oh where did you find the Te Fiti and "I Lava You" tiki mugs. She is obsessed with looking for them on the internet :) I'm obsessed by the sheer quality of your videos and research and just the number of rums and liquors you have and experimented with!

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you! The mugs are from TikiLand Trading. Not sure if still available. I believe Tiki Tony designed them and as soon as I saw them had to pre order them.

[@EricWW2000]

Blackwell's in San Rafael and SF and Bitters & Bottles in south SF have JM Shrubb! Definitely hard to find.... Bitters and Bottles definitely worth the trip though, insane selection and set up.

[@leothelion9124]

I’ve enjoyed all your videos especially the Mai Tai series. Last summer I discovered Jalisco 1562 orange liqueur and never looked back. It’s an agave based liqueur that’s high quality and affordable. I use it for margaritas and mai tais. My Mai Tai includes lime juice, Appleton 12, W&N overproof, Jalisco, Liber orgeat and half bar spoon of Demerara syrup.

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you! Haven’t had the one but will be on the lookout.

[@Fallout75]

Happy Mai Tai Day! My favorite Mai Tai recipe (so far) is the following: 1 oz Lime Juice 1 oz Giffard Orgeat ( Yes, 1 oz) 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao 1 oz Appleton Estate 12yr 1 oz Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc Try it! 😊

[@makeanddrink]

Thanks for sharing this, Jim, and looking forward to you revisiting the Mai Kai recipes when they re-open. I myself will be revisiting this recipe and following the Atomic Grog version! I also have your Tribute Barrel O' Rum on my list. One of the things that has stuck with me since searching for that Esquire Magazine issue that you pointed to as well as some of the other recipes that Jeff Berry has shared is how challenging it can be to find searchable magazines. I'm sure there are paid sites out there, but unaware of any one-stop source. I have to imagine there is a treasure trove of recipes, features, and more hidden in magazines from the 1940s-70s

[@Ezzie_311]

Fantastic video! The taste testing must have been a blast. Definitely enjoying all your content. Subscribed!

[@markmcvicar2654]

Loved the video and the whole series. Looking forward to the interview with Kevin Crossman. Thanks Derek!

[@markhatley-k6s]

Great video and Cheers on Mai Tai day!I really appreciate the deep dive into the orange liqueurs. I’ve been using Ferrand and will now try others as well. I am watching this video sipping a Mai tai with 1.5 Oz of Appleton 12 and 1/2 Oz of Plantation O.F.T.D.( give this a try as I find it most excellent) I agree with your thoughts on rums! I have Hamilton 86 on my shelf and will try that next. Keep up,the great work on these videos.

[@0956y]

These are some great tips. Always felt that the triple sec could be done better

[@dennman37]

This was a great series to watch. Been following you since the Tempting Tigress video and I've seen pretty much every video since Keep it going man, your content is one of the best 👊

[@earlhill6120]

My go to rum mix for my Mai Tai is oz each of El Dorado 12 and appleton 12.

[@makeanddrink]

Sounds great

[@matthewtepfer5700]

Great video as always. I totally agree the orange liqueur blend really ups the mai tai a notch. My rum blend used to lean on the Ultimate mai tai direction. But after tasting the Appleton 17 I started working on a reversed engineered blend that tastes similar to that. So right now my go to rum blend is 0.75oz Appleton 12, 0.75oz Denizen MR, and 0.5oz OFTD. That paired with my house orange blend makes an excellent mai tai. Thanks for all your great mai tai month videos! It was fun to go through that experience with you.

[@makeanddrink]

I’ll need to try this one

[@philgringo2438]

Hello Make and Drink. I can't wait to see this next Mai Tai. In any case, thank you for this series of interesting videos 👍

[@makeanddrink]

A couple more Mai Tais coming soon!

[@philgringo2438]

Cool 👍

[@IverJ]

Wow! I thought I had a good selection of Orange liqueurs in my home bar - TCB - The Corner Bar (corner of my basement) - that's a lot of options. Never thought of slitting this liqueur, as I often do with rums. Gonna have to try this. Cheers. (TCB has PF dry curacao, Grand Marnier, Clement Creole Shrub and Cointreau...and triple sec, but would not use that in a Mai Tai)

[@Succumbed2Rum]

My favorite rum combo in a MaiTai is 1oz each of Appleton 8 & El Dorado 12. Going to experiment a bit more with the Orange Curacaos now thanks to your inspiration.

[@Lawlzinator]

Combo of Appleton and el dorado works well in a Cuba Libre too

[@calgy84]

Thats my choice as well for a fancy Mai Tai. I tried 4 orange liquers (Piere Ferrand, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, J. M. Shrub) and I always go to with the J. M.

[@mcgee227]

I personally fined that Harlequin is fine for me. Also strange enough Ive been using Trader Vic's Macadamia nut liqueur instead of orgeat.

[@lrvogt1257]

That looks great. I want to try the orange liqueur combo. My recipe has been very close to yours but I’m still tweaking it. 1 Appleton Estate 12 1 Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof - for roasted molasses notes 3/4 Lime juice 1/2 Cointreau 1/4 orgeat I used to have more lime and orgeat before but cut back by 1/4 each in this recipe because… for me… they were too dominant and I make sure there is enough dilution or it can be too intense… which for many is preferable but for me a tropical cocktail should be refreshing rather than strong. Cheers.

[@erniecarbajal1805]

My boy Ed (Owner of La Bodega in Riverside, CA) has special ordered JM Shrub products including their orange liquor multiple times. Has never had an issue with supply.

[@Fallout75]

Congrats on the release of your glasses! Definitely getting a set.

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you!

[@AlexRanous]

Great insight comparing all the orange liqueurs. Gives me an excuse to drive up to Bitters and Bottles, which has JM Shrubb. I see they also have the Hamilton Petite Canne Shrubb. Have you tried that one?

[@makeanddrink]

I’ve never owned a bottle or tasted it in its own. Will definitely be on the look out for it.

[@BravingTheOutDoors]

I have no idea if I'll be able to make this any time soon considering I can't get Hamilton or Shrubb where I live but bravo!!

[@robbor]

Happy Mai Tai Day! I’m a huge fan of the Ultimate Mai Tai, but really liked this version too, I think you’re on to something with the orange liqueurs. Did you consider adding Demerara Syrup?

[@makeanddrink]

I considered it but I prefer upping the Orgeat instead of Orgeat and a syrup. I think 1/4 oz of Orgeat is usually lost. But def something to try and one day making a Demerara Orgeat.

[@Joshdr99]

My taste buds like the Appleton Signature over the 12. I like the flavor better, the 12 seemed too sweet but I will definitely try the 12 with some 151 combo. Maybe when my Make & Drink glasses arrive!

[@makeanddrink]

Hey your preference will do wonders for your wallet! Glasses shipping soon!

[@jjdawg9918]

I agree that the orange liquor is the most difficult flavor to get right. Your use of Grand Marnier makes me wonder about Cointreau Noir which has a cognac base and seems to be widely available. I love regular Cointreau but its not quite complex enough for a Mai Thai( it needs a little dirt ;-). Dry Curacao has a fake vanilla undertone which doesn't work me but somehow I can drink the fake Hiram Walkers orange curacao....as a 1/4 split go figure?

[@makeanddrink]

Yeah Cointreau just doesn't work and I love it in everything else.

[@IanTriggs]

Hamilton doesn't seem to be easily available outside of USA, but I'm keen to give Clement a go, I've been meaning to buy some!

[@makeanddrink]

Hamilton 86 is from Guyana. I’ve never tasted it against any El Dorado or Pussers, but those would probably get you close.

[@jurispurins8065]

Mai Tai Month has been Awesome I’m still catching up!!!

[@jcloiseau]

Love it!

[@jaythrash]

Nice glasses! Would love to learn more about the process of getting custom glasses made.

[@makeanddrink]

Sometime I’ll do an informal video that covers a wide range of things, happy to include this because there’s no good info out there. Had to figure it out myself.

[@stinkdog]

Another outstanding video!! How can we access your custom glasses. The link doesn't seem to work.

[@makeanddrink]

link should work now. Thanks for calling that out! makeanddrinkshop.bigcartel.com/

[@Blondi115935]

So where is the one place in California that sells J.M Shrubb? And where would you recommend shopping for the Creole Shrubb? I think you said you were Bay area in the past. I'm sure I'm not the only viewer in the same region who would benefit from knowing. Thanks!

[@makeanddrink]

Bitters & Bottles

[@Jonpaul5005]

Just purchased Clement Creole Shrubb today. I noticed what I can only describe as “white floaties” in the bottle. Is this sediment a part of the orange peel maceration?

[@makeanddrink]

Not sure but mine has some white haze to it as well when it’s settled.

[@Jonpaul5005]

@@makeanddrinkThanks! Looking forward to trying your preferred cocktail.

[@ethand982]

How did you like DeKuyper? I had purchased that brand first, and then upgraded to Pierre Fernand, so I’m familiar with both, but was curious your thoughts as DeKuyper is a lot cheaper.

[@makeanddrink]

Unremarkable. It’s didn’t stand out in the taste tests and I’ve never gone too far in testing it. I’ll eventually do a video with all of the orange liqueurs.

[@ethand982]

@@makeanddrinkI just got around to watching your history on the Mai Tai and I have to laugh that the DeKuyper is one of the keys to the original Mai Tai 😂😂😭

[@TheProhibitionKitchen]

This was FANTASTIC… and I know what shop that is in CA lol.

[@ChainerSeraphim]

Can't connect to the shop website from here in Canada :(

[@andreasglantz2294]

I could, from Sweden. Unfortunately shipping is restricted to the US only anyway…

[@makeanddrink]

This is all new to me but in time I will figure out how to ship outside US!

[@ScoundrelGaming]

I will be trying this one tonight! Still don't know what my personal mai tai is, maybe never will!

[@makeanddrink]

No need to always have a favorite or preference. It’s nice to change things up!

[@ScoundrelGaming]

@@makeanddrink went with 1.5oz appleton 12, and .5oz "rum funk" blend of Jamaicans and demeraras. delicious

[@kellen1618]

Have you had Solerno Blood Orange liqueur in a Mai Tai? I quite enjoyed it, but it's on the bitter side.

[@makeanddrink]

I’ve never had it

[@rignanroach1775]

Oh here it is......

[@deanmarchand6924]

Now I need to know what the one place in California with JM Shrubb is

[@MrMoney331]

Man I really need to make a Mai Tai, it has been awhile because I haven't made Orgeat....

[@christrotter3052]

I'll be rolling through Milwaukee next week...Foundation Tiki awaits!

[@MrMoney331]

Wut....@@christrotter3052

[@tmunzing]

Welp, I know which one I'm making first tonight

[@DavidHallidayMusic]

You do great work, man! Thank you. When you were talking about bottles that are hard to find, it reminded me of Curiada. Anders Erickson (another great KZbin bartender like yourself) has a collection on Curiada. Folks can go there and order the same bottles he uses on his show. It would be awesome if you had one of those, especially with regard to rarer rum bottles (as well as orange liqueurs). Cheers!

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you! And yes, it would be cool to have a Curiada collection. If you’re listening Curiada, let’s go!

[@DavidHallidayMusic]

@@makeanddrink I’ll email them on your behalf. 👍🏽

[@johnolmos8670]

It’s not Mai Tai it’s your Tai buddy!

[@benykristo]

My preferred orange liqueurs for Mai Tai are the same 3 ! Neat I prefer the Clément. Great video, would bé interesting to access the ratings of your blind tests. Have you ever tried out Mandarine Napoléon ? As a substitute to Grand Marnier

[@makeanddrink]

I’ve not tried it. I’ve seen it, but looks like it’s not available near me at the moment. If I come across some I’ll give it a shot.

[@benykristo]

@@makeanddrink I wish I could ship you a bottle as I can buy some pretty cheap (14€) but I live in France

[@gintu05]

This is not the greatest Mai tai in the world…this is just a Tribute.

[@makeanddrink]

And I am Wonderboy

[@rignanroach1775]

Oookay the orgeat makes it better. I need less lime and more orange I think.

[@makeanddrink]

it's not a Mai Tai is there is no orgeat

[@rignanroach1775]

@@makeanddrink I'm evil. I now make mine with Frangelica instead. ROFL 2 oz Signature, 1 oz Frangelica, 1 oz Cuantreau, .5 oz lime. That's my base. I will fiddle with it, no doubt. My typical Negroni is like 25% of the normal amount of Campari. I'd be willing to bet most real mai tai drinkers would take less Frangelica and more Cuantreau. So it's not a Mai Tai.... Do I care???? I am so disgustingly not your target audience, but I still LOVE your videos.

[@CrunchyTire]

It is hard being so fake? It comes so naturally, have you worked in hollywood?