The PENULTIMATE Mai Tai

[@makeanddrink]

Want to know more about the Mai Tai? Last year Kevin and I answered some questions sent to us by many of you kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpanh5Rujt5nqrM

[@simonwatson3418]

I love all these collaborations with arminder and Kevin. Keep up the great work Derek. I’m off to the kuleana distillery in October and can’t wait - already have kohana from Oahu from a previous visit, but this is a much anticipated trip and I’ll be trying this Maitai out on my return home!

[@HyperspaceCowboy]

What a great idea for an episode. I really enjoy hearing Kevins thoughts behind his choices.

[@populardrinker]

Love seeing the friendship and community on this channel, Kevin seems so chill and knowledgeable!

[@robmichaels4728]

Leaving Jamaica as we speak, bought a refill of WP109 as it was only $15USD in 1L bottle. Will try this as my first drink tonight.

[@ultimatemaitai]

What a deal!

[@mikehaberman2252]

I make what I call a Mike-tai, it is a 1944 Mai-Tai + .5oz Passion fruit syrup and I add .5oz Hampden Rum along with 1oz of WP109 and 1oz of Probitas. Chef kiss!

[@markhatley-k6s]

Another great episode, and really good to see Kevin there. Keep up the excellent work!!

[@Michael.T.]

I use a blend of Myers Original Dark Rum for the funky Jamaican flavor and El Dorado 5 Year for the Demerara notes. It’s a great combo

[@DavidFinland]

Finally made this tonight and it was amazing! 😊 I used Clement Canne Bleue because it's the only Rhum Agricole I have at the moment 😅 The flavours work so well together and there's an evolution on the palate as you drink. The Ultimate Mai Tai was also excellent but it felt a bit one dimensional (much earlier in my Rum journey so my palate probably wasn't ready for the funk, I must make it again soon!) When I first tried Rhum Agricole neat and in a Daiquiri it tasted like soggy grass but I'm glad I didn't pour it down the sink because I'm finally seeing how it can enhance the flavours in a cocktail and really give a lovely long finish. Thanks again to both of you for the fantastic content 🙏

[@Daniel-oq3ep]

Glad to see Kuleana getting some love, brought some home from my work trip and i like it a lot. First Agricole ive had and bought!

[@ultimatemaitai]

KōHana is also very good. I really love Kuleana's Agricole and it is sort of a bummer they have to use multi-source rum blends for most of their products. Really hoping they can expand the use of their own cane juice rum.

[@Daniel-oq3ep]

@@ultimatemaitai yeah that’s why i only picked up the agricole, they had an exclusive aged agricole but it was $170

[@ViewerofContent]

I love Kuleana! Tried that bottle for the first time at their “Rum Shack” in Kona, did a whole tasting of their lineup. I have a bottle sitting on my bar that I’m afraid to open.

[@hayleywebster4446]

Love your channel and your drinks Derek! Just wanted to let you know that “penultimate” means second-to-last, not anything close to awesome, which is what this mai tai is.

[@Timflan]

Hey I was impressed that Derek used the word penultimate correctly! I mean, he's JUST a bartender, right? (J/K Derek; love you, man!)

[@ultimatemaitai]

I didn't catch that one either. Shoot.

[@ultimatemaitai]

I've been thinking about this. "next to last" when you are in a chronology (e.g. the second to last day of the month). In this case, it doesn't mean "second to worst". If you are working your way up to the Ultimate, then the one before that is the penultimate item.

[@MrHavy09]

I’m pretty sure I saw Kevin at Dr Funk a few weekends ago haha. Cool spec, definitely need to educate myself on Hawaiian Agricole. Currently using a mix of Appleton, El Dorado, & OFTD Rum w/ Grand Marnier - but i definitely want to venture out and try out new blends for my Mai Tai

[@ultimatemaitai]

I haven't been to Dr. Funk on a weekend in months. Must be evil twin who runs the Ultimate Vodka Soda website.

[@MrHavy09]

@@ultimatemaitaiIt must of been haha, he was wearing the same red shirt at Dr Funk

[@TDaw88]

The Mai Tai lords. Great video!

[@scotty_tiki-ohana]

Looking forward to making this.

[@11alexstreet]

Love this combo! Also that rum combo looks great too. Im definitely picking up a bottle of that Hawaiian Agricole if I come across it.

[@ultimatemaitai]

Kuleana is Total Wine in California and does have some shipping options.

[@mmwosu]

For a two-bottle my Mai Tai rum blend has been Appleton and OFTD. So good!

[@rayfound]

Just made one (used clement Creole shubb as orange liqueur). Great. Note, these two rums plus Appleton 8 are blended to make the house rum at TikiHau in Wailea.

[@blindlemonlipschitz912]

Sub'd the kuelana with avuá prata cahcaça, (because that's what I had) and gotta say. This one is tasty!!

[@nicolasnegrete3226]

amaizing i need more Tropical and Tiki Cocktails more Mai tai¡

[@jeremyapplegate4868]

I make the Ultimate Mai Tai all the time, but I swap out the Xaymaca with Balcones pot still rum. It's my absolute favorite Mai Tai recipe.

[@ultimatemaitai]

That Balcones is not bad at all. Expensive, but good juice.

[@stephane.foisy.186]

Great video and recipe. Now to find this bottles of rum in Canada. I think I can find the Worthy park and I think I have an option for the rhum agricole.

[@Quiet1-y9x]

Nice Mai Tai recipe. I didn't have Kuleana Hawaiian Rum Agricole , but have tried with both Rhum Barbancouirt "Haitian Proof" white rum and Uruapan Charanda in its stead. Both are excellent, think I might prefer the Uruapan. A bit more depth to the flavor.

[@Pancho878]

The Best Mai Tai is 1 oz Appleton 12 and 1 oz Smith and Cross.

[@bagels8862]

Looks almost as good as the Pen 15 Mai Tai!

[@BG-gr7fh]

Just got back from a trip to the Big Island, spent way too much time at the Kuleana Rum Shack in Waikoloa

[@atomicgrog]

It's the opposite of this concept, but my "ultimate" remains eight rums: 1/4 each of the Hampden rum variants in the 8 Marks Collection. If you have that box set, give it a try ...

[@makeanddrink]

I've been sitting on that box for a long time. Looks like I know what to do now.

[@atomicgrog]

@@makeanddrinkGive it a try!

[@ericepperson8409]

Derrick, this was amusing to me since I seem to remember on more than on occasion where you've expressed an opinion that Agricole doesn't belong in a MaiTai. I've been down the rabbit hole lately of reading up on the theories and investigations of what Trader Vic was using when he started mixing rums for the reformulations. Personally I've been working my way up to enjoying a full strength funky Jamaican rum blend in my drinks. While I'm doing that, it's hard to justify dropping more than $120 on bottles to make the Ultimate Mai Tai mix. My budget go to lately has been Hamilton 86 and Plantation OD with a splash of Rum Fire to bring the funk.

[@makeanddrink]

I'm mainy joking about the agricole, but my main point of contention comes from people who think you should use an agricole to replicate the flavor of the original Mai Tai from 1944 which had a 100% pot still Jamaican rum. That rum, as well as the blends that came after, did not contain any agricole rums. That's still a big misconception and you see people saying you should use an agricole to replicate the 17 year old Wray & Newphew, which you shouldnt But Trader Vic did go on to put an agricole in a Mai Tai as early as 1958 and was also going this in the 1990s. The Smuggler's Cove has the most concise look at the rums in the original Mai Tai. But always important to know that Trader Vic was not nearly as precious about these rum blends as people are today. He modified and changed them to his preferences.

[@ultimatemaitai]

Vic absolutely used Rhum Agricole (St. James) in Mai Tais, starting in the late 1950s and into the 1970s. Trader Vic's corporate recommended St. James in the 1990s. Look for more on this topic in a future M&D episode...

[@Skiliq]

I think out of the subs for Kuleana mentioned, Copalli is the only one I can find locally where I am in SoCal, I think it was $19 at Trader Joes. I need to just order some agricole rhum at some point soon.

[@johanlarsson2718]

My version would be 1oz 109, 0,5oz Hampden 8 and 0,5oz Neison Agricol. Yes it is three of them…maybe the Holy Trinity Mai Tai?

[@smithlindsay25]

Hi Derek! I love your tiki shirt (and of course your videos). Can you share where you got it so I can buy it for my husband?

[@makeanddrink]

Most are either Bonobos or Volcom

[@jeffreyallen9394]

Next up: The Antepenultimate Mai Tai…featuring one rum?

[@ultimatemaitai]

Spoiler: it's Appleton 12.

[@bxmills]

1oz Smith & Cross, 1/2oz Eldorado 12, and 1/2oz OFTD Is my recipe!

[@rough_spirits]

Would the Hamilton breezeway blend be a good 1 to 1 swap-out for the kuleana?

[@makeanddrink]

No, you’d want a rum made from sugar cane juice instead of molasses.

[@blindlemonlipschitz912]

Definitely second this. BB is a really good rum imo, but you have that lighter pot still funk it it which I would think would get lost, and not create the flavor profile they are trying to create here. The lighter, sweeter grassy notes of the rum they talk about is what you want for this recipe.

[@ultimatemaitai]

Anything cane based that is lighter in character. So, avoid Martinique Agricoles and likely most Haitian Clairins as well (Barbancourt Haitian Proof is a reasonable sub, though very high ABV).

[@rbilabronze2653]

@ultimatemaitai how does the kuleana compare to the kohana? I was going to head to bitters and bottles to pick one up and wasn’t sure which one would be better to purchase if I were to only add one to my bar? Thanks.

[@blindlemonlipschitz912]

@rbilabronze2653 when in doubt, buy both.. 😆

[@TheNikolaus777]

Bro, how tall are you?

[@happykillmore349]

If you use a decent, non-trendy orgeat, you don't need to thin it out with syrups.

[@makeanddrink]

What makes an orgeat trendy?

[@TheUmbrellaMan-wh3qh]

Not sure they understand the definition of “Penultimate”… it means the second to last. So this is not the last mai tai but the next to the last mai tai that will ever be made? Or the second worst? Lol

[@makeanddrink]

We fully understand