Mai Tai Cocktail

A double old fashioned glass filled with the mai tai with a cherry and orange slice on a pick

The Mai Tai is a classic tiki cocktail made with rum, lime juice, orange liqueur, and a splash of almond syrup for a fruity, balanced drink with a tropical twist. Easy to mix and full of bold flavor, it’s the perfect sip for a laid-back evening or a festive gathering.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine Cocktails

Keyword fruit cocktail, mai tai, mai tai cocktail

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings cocktails

Calories 348kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

4 ounce gold rum
2 ounce Cointreau or triple sec
1 ounce amaretto
1 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce fresh lime juice
4 ounces orange juice
.50 ounce Grenadine syrup

Garnish

2 orange wheels
2 maraschino cherries

Instructions

Fill a shaker halfway with ice
Add all the ingredients above, one after the other
4 ounce gold rum, 2 ounce Cointreau, 1 ounce amaretto, 1 ounce simple syrup, 1 ounce fresh lime juice, 4 ounces orange juice, .50 ounce Grenadine syrup
Cover shaker and shake for 15 seconds
Add fresh ice to the glasses and divide the contents of shaker between them. Add garnish
2 orange wheels, 2 maraschino cherries
Sip, smile, and enjoy.

Notes

You can adjust recipe to serve as many people you want. To make a pitcher that serves 12:

3 cups gold rum
1.5 cup Cointreau
6 ounces Amaretto
6 ounces simple syrup
6 ounces limes juice
24 ounces (1.5 cups) orange juice
3 ounces of grenadine

Helpful tips

Be aware this cocktail is mostly booze so it is "potent," as my grandmother liked to say.
I prefer a premium orange liqueur like Cointreau but you can also use triple sec or orange curacao.
When I make these for my family, I make them in bulk as there are usually between 14 - 20 people to imbibe this tasty cocktail. In that case, I'll use triple sec to economize.
This recipe is for two mai tais, but in the notes section, I tell you how to modify the recipe to make a pitcher.
Make your own simple syrup as it is so easy - Boil equal amounts of water and sugar - Add one cup of water and one cup of sugar to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature and simmer for five minutes. Let it cool before using it in a cocktail.
Mai tais are usually served with crushed ice, but I prefer ice cubes. Use what you prefer.
For garnish you can either just add a lime wedge, maraschino cherry or if you want to get fancy like me, cut a thin wheel from an orange, fold it in half and spear the orange slice and a cherry on a martini pick.
Amaretto is an almond flavored liqueur. Orgeat syrup is a non-alcoholic almond syrup and is usually in the mai tai that you get in restaurants, but it's not as easy to obtain from a store. So, I have replaced the orgeat flavor with an easier to find liqueur, hence the Amaretto. And truthfully, I enjoy it just as much as if I used the syrup.
Using Amaretto will increase the alcohol content. (See the first point in the helpful tips.)

Nutrition