Mai Tai - Tumblr Posts

Mix #1 the Mai Tai '44

In 1944,Trader Vic invented the Mai Tai to showcase a 17-year-old rum imported by J. Wray & Nephew. Upon tasting the wonderful elixir,one of his friends from Tahiti said,"maita'i roa ae!",which loosely translates to "out of this world,the best!",and the Mai Tai was born. The Mai Tai is,in my not-so-humble opinion,the greatest of all tiki drinks. A proper Mai Tai should balance the sweet and sour so that you don't taste any one specific ingredient. There have been many versions of the Mai Tai over the years,some delicious,some a tragic waste of rum. The correct recipe,as shown in my Trader Vic's glass above,is as follows:

Mai Tai '44

2oz dark rum* 1oz lime juice 1/2 oz orange curacao 1/2 oz orgeat 1/4 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice and serve unstrained in a double rocks glass.

*Some recipes use one ounce each of dark and gold rum.

My current preferred recipe is:

2oz English Harbor 1oz cold pressed lime juice 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand dry curacao 1/2 oz Small Hand Foods orgeat 1/4 oz Stirrings simple syrup

Previously I've enjoyed using Appleton Estate's Signature,8,and 12yr and Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva. I prefer 'funkier' rums in my Mai Tais.

Mai Tais should never contain orange juice,or be blended. Triple sec is not a proper substitute for curacao. There are many recipes that play with the proportions of the ingredients,but trust me,the original recipe works the best. If you want to add some zip to your Mai Tai,you can do a float of 151 Demerara rum on top. At the original Trader Vic's in San Fran this was called the "Old Way" because an older man who was a regular liked his like this.

The Other Mai Tais

While there is only one true recipe for the original Mai Tai,that's not to say there can't be variations. The Trader himself had his own alternative Mai Tais. The Honi Honi was his bourbon Mai Tai,which just subbed bourbon for rum. I used Makers Mark to make these for a friend at our Xmas party who didn't like rum. He loved it.

Mix #2 the Honi Honi

2oz bourbon 1oz lime juice 1/2oz orange curacao 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz simple syrup

Trader Vic's also has alternate Mai Tais at their locations which use juices such as passion fruit,mango,and guava. Here's their Guava Tai from one of the e-mails they've sent me:

Mix #3 TV's Guava Tai

1oz gold rum 1oz light rum 3/4oz Trader Vic's Mai Tai Concentrate(not mix) 1oz guava juice 1/2oz lime juice.

I've even created my own two variations. The first was a happy accident. I decided to make a high octane Mai Tai by using Hamilton's Beachbum Berry's Zombie Blend,a nice 'little 118 proof' rum. Zombies usually take 4oz of rum,so I used 2oz in my Mai Tai. After feeling the effects of this,I decided to actually read the label on the bottle,and found out that only 2oz was intended to be used to make their version of the Zombie. Oops. Oh well,I can work with this. I swapped the orange curacao for blue,and it gave the drink a cool 'zombie' coloring. Since this upgunned Mai Tai can sink you,I named it the Davy Jones Mai Tai.

Mix #4 Davy Jones Mai Tai

2oz Hamilton Beachbum Berry's Zombie Blend 1oz lime juice 1/2oz blue curacao 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz simple syrup

The second was intended to make a funky Mai Tai. I love Demerara rum,and used this as the base with other ingredients intended to bring the funk. I submitted this to BG Reynolds' website and was told they would post it. In the meantime,here it is for your enjoyment.

Mix #5 Funk #44

2oz Lemon Hart & Sons 1804 1oz lime juice 1/2oz Solerno blood orange 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz BG Reynolds Demerara syrup

Enjoy!

My Mixes

As I said in my intro post,I've had a recipe published in Exotica Moderne:

Mix #13 Corsair Punch

2oz Appleton Estate 8yr Reserve* 2oz orange juice 2oz pineapple juice 3/4oz lime juice 3/4oz grenadine 1/2oz orgeat

*Or your favorite Mai Tai rum.

It's a sweeter drink with plenty of vitamin C that goes well with pizza.

I've also come up with a few others,and have some experiments in the works. Here's the ones that I've gotten to work so far.

Mix #4 Davy Jones Mai Tai

2oz Hamilton Beachbum Berry's Zombie Blend 1oz lime juice 1/2oz blue curacao 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz simple syrup

Mix #5 Funk #44

2oz Lemon Hart & Sons 1804 1oz lime juice 1/2oz Solerno blood orange 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz BG Reynolds Demerara syrup

Previously posted under "The Other Mai Tais" below. The Davy Jones is an upgunned Mai Tai with creepy coloring,perfect for a Halloween party. The Funk #44 is a sweeter,funked up Mai Tai.

Mix #14 Pirate's Parley

1oz Demerara rum 3oz pineapple juice 3/4oz lime juice 1/2oz apricot brandy 1/2oz orange curacao

Ok,this is a cheat. Tiki Bar TV had a drink called "Diplomatic Immunity" that used an ounce of Scotch. I'm not a Scotch drinker,so I subbed in Demerara rum,and it turned out good. Since I was pirating the drink,I 'pirated' the name(I give my drinks pirate themed names 'cuz I'm silly like that).

Mix #15 Black Beard's Ghost

2oz light rum 2oz orange juice 1oz lemon juice 1oz blackberry brandy 1/2oz orgeat

This has a berry-lemonade taste. Lemon juice messes with my tummy,so the orange juice and orgeat keep it citrus-y while taking the edge off the lemon.

Hope you like these!

Warning: don't try these at home.

So in my first post,I gave the recipe for the proper Mai Tai. I also stated that there were many versions that weren't any good. "A tragic waste of rum" I said. Well,I ran into one of these lately,and thought it would be a good idea to explain WHY these attempts at a Mai Tai were bad,instead of simply trashing them. So here are two very wrong Mai Tais and why they're wrong. The more you know….

This is the Mai Tai recipe from the site of Dumas rum. I was recently given a bottle of this as a tip at work. It's decent rum,although I think the 12yr Appleton is smoother. It worked ok in a Mai Tai,but I'm sticking with my English Harbor. Anyway,I was curious about it since it was a local rum,and looked up their site. And I'm sorry but that it not the way to make a Mai Tai. First off,three shots of rum are really going to put some kick into it. The Mai Tai is a relaxing cocktail,not a high octane drink like a Zombie. Then there's the extra sweet and bitter with no sour. A little simple syrup goes a long way,so a half ounce is kinda a lot. Then they use three quarters of an ounce of triple sec instead of curacao which will add some bitter. Then there's the additional sweet of the orgeat,but no lime juice to balance with sour. This is not going to be an easy sipping drink you're going to want on the regular. It will,however,be an excellent recipe for a hangover. So I'm going to skip mixing this one.

Here we have a glass available on Etsy.

Isn't that handy that the glass has measuring lines to make it easy to mix a cocktail? Too bad you won't want to drink it. There's basically no sweet in it at all. It's going to be super tart and you're just going to have to choose between forcing it down or waste the rum down the sink.

Seriously folks,trust me on this. You want to stick to the original recipe. There's good reason why the Trader stuck with it. Cheers!

Toasting the arts.

I recently went to the grocery store to pick up some more cold pressed lime juice. This stuff is awesome. It's actually better than fresh squeezed IMHO because there's zero effort and cleanup involved(I am a bachelor) and because it's a mix of many limes,the PH is balanced. Unfortunately they were out,but they did have cold pressed tangerine juice. So I picked some up to experiment with substituting for orange juice. After getting home,I logged into Facebook and found I had been given a top fan badge from MeduSirena. She's the famous fire eating mermaid,and one of these days I need to get down to the Wreck Bar to see her. Anyway,to celebrate whenever a Tiki A-Lister notices me on Facebook,I make one of their cocktails,or a cocktail that is representative of them. So I made her cocktail:

Mix #42 Sea Hag

2oz white rum 2oz blue curacao 4oz orange juice 1oz lime juice 1oz lemon juice

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into double rocks glass.

This recipe comes from the Lava Flow Inn. If you've never heard of this bar,that's because it's the personal bar of Matt Reese,one of the co-owners of Home Aloha. They had the recipe on one of their Mai Tai glasses. I tried it awhile back and found it was a bit tart for my taste. So this time around I decided to swap the lemon juice for pineapple and swapped my new tangerine for orange. These changes sweetened the drink without radically altering it,and it's how I'll make it from now on.

Here's the other toasting drinks I've made.

Mix #43 Gamma Gamma Hey

1oz Smith & Cross 1oz Plantation Original Dark 1/2 allspice dram 1/2oz passionfruit syrup 1/2oz guanabana nectar* 1/2oz lime juice 1oz Plantation OFTD

Shake everything except OFTD with ice and pour into mug. Float OFTD on top.

*Guanabana is also called sour sop and can be found in the Latin section of your grocery store.

I made this again after Ken from House of Tabu accepted my friend request. I've been a huge fan of his mugs and his Tiki magazine Exotica Moderne(that my Corsair Punch was published in). This was the drink card recipe from the original blue Gamma Gamma Hey mugs(one of my favs),and the Tabu recipes have all been delicious. Warning,it will mess you up.

Mix #44 Hippopotomai-Tai

1oz dark rum 1oz light rum 1oz lime juice 1/2oz orange curacao 1/2oz orgeat 1/2oz agave nectar

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into double rocks glass.

Kevin Crossman is a Mai Tai enthusiast who runs the site Ultimate Mai Tai. I found this recipe on Etsy. It was carved into a wooden cutting board and is supposed to be one of the drinks from the Trader Sam's Tiki bars at the Disney parks. I can't vouch for it's authenticity,but I can vouch for the fact that it makes a nice,slightly sweetish version of the Mai Tai. I think he would approve of it.

Mix #45 Chimp in Orbit

1.5oz 151 rum 2oz orange juice 1oz lemon juice 1oz sweet vermouth 1/2oz orange curacao 1/4oz creme de cacao 1/4oz grenadine

Blend with ice.

I made this for Crazy Al Evens. He's a Tiki artist who makes ridiculously cool mugs and fronts an exotica group called APE the Band. With one and a half ounces of 151,after a couple of these,you'll be crazier than he is!

Mix #17 Midori Cactus Juice

1oz coconut rum 1oz vodka 1oz Midori 3oz pineapple juice splash of club soda

Shake everything together except soda. Pour into glass,top with soda,and stir.

Moki Sato is a very talented exotica artist from Japan who was featured on the cover of issue 19 of Exotica Moderne. I really like the way he blends traditional exotica with a touch of anime. I toasted him with one of the mixings from my Midori post that was good enough to make it into my regular rotation. I just need to get one of his mugs to enjoy it in.

So now you have some delicious cocktails to enjoy while checking out some seriously cool people. Enjoy!

Here we go again!

I've once again been published! The new issue #20 of Exotica Moderne has my Funk #44 in 'the Cocktail Hour',page 43.

What's even cooler is I own a couple versions of that mug:

Hope you all enjoy the drink!

It's Mai Tai Day!

Happy Mai Tai Day everyone! And today is the correct Mai Tai Day. Proof:

As I said in my first post,the Mai Tai was created in 1944 by Trader Vic. Here's the story in his own words:

“I was at the service bar in my Oakland restaurant. I took down a bottle of 17-year old Jamaican J. Wray Nephew rum, added fresh lime, some Orange Curacao from Holland, a dash of Rock Candy syrup, and a dollop of French Orgeat, for its subtle flavor. A generous amount of shaved ice and a vigorous shaking by hand produced the marriage I was after. Half the lime shell went in for color, I stuck in a branch of fresh mint and gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild, friends from Tahiti, who were there that night. Carrie took on sip and said, “Mai Tai – Roa Ae”. In Tahitian this means “Out of this World – The Best”. Well, that was that. I named the drink “Mai Tai”.

The Mai Tai is probably the best known Tiki drink,and with good reason. It's just plain delicious. Follow the original recipe,and you can't go wrong:

An interesting thing about Mai Tais,is that despite being created in California,most people think of Hawaii. This is because of all the tourist bars in Hawaii which made their versions of the Mai Tai. Kevin Crossman,Mai Tai enthusiast and Tiki historian,wrote an excellent article on the subject on his blog,The Ultimate Mai Tai. From his article,we get a chart of Mai Tai recipes:

And here's the one I tried:

Mix #54 1972 Royal Hawaiian Surf Room Mai Tai

1oz light rum 1oz dark rum 1oz Demerara rum 1oz orange juice 1oz pineapple juice 1/2oz lime juice 1/4oz lemon juice 1/4oz orange curacao 1/4oz orgeat 1/4oz simple syrup

Shake with ice and pour into double rocks glass.

Definitely a tourist drink. Lots of rum for punch,and very 'tropical' tasting. Surprising they used ten ingredients though,that's gotta be tough to mix when there's a rush at the bar. I think I'll just stick to the original. Or Kevin's custom blended version:

Mix #55 Ultimate Mai Tai

1oz Fresh Lime Juice 1/2oz Orgeat (Latitude 29) 1/4oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds or Liber) 1/2oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao or Clement Créole Shrubb) 1/2oz Appleton 12 Rum 1/2oz Smith & Cross Rum 1/2oz Plantation OFTD Rum 1/2oz Plantation Xaymaca Rum

Shake with ice and pour into double rocks glass.

This does make for a very nice Mai Tai.

Cheers folks!

Let's be careful out there.

Unfortunately,you can't always trust every Tiki recipe out there. If fact,many are pretty bad. But fear not,you can trust your Uncle Giltron. I'm willing to risk my sanity and rum to bring you mixes you can trust.

I use Fee Brothers orgeat for most of my mixings. It's pretty good. Too bad the 'Mai-Tai' recipe on the bottle is just plain wrong:

2oz light rum 1/2oz lime juice 1/4oz orgeat 1/4oz curacao

Just for funnsies,I gave this a try. Yeah,it sucked. Too lime-y and tart. Fortunately,I was able to fix it by adding simple and upping the lime,orgeat,and curacao to where they should be. So I was able to make it a white rum Mai Tai and not completely waste my rum. Once fixed,it was ok,but Mai Tais really need to be made with dark rum. At least I was able to finish it.

So listen to your Uncle Giltron,follow my mixings and you won't have any regrets....other than a hangover.

Boo!

It's that time of year again folks,when the days get shorter,the weather turns cooler,and we start watching our favorite spooky movies again. Halloween season.

Last year,the Search For Tiki did a 13 Nights of Tiki Frights where for thirteen days in a row they did a podcast with a prominent figure in the Tiki world,gave away a mug,and posted a new drink recipe featuring Plantation rum. Not only did I try most of them,but I even went out and bought the fancy rums to make them. And I can tell you folks,Plantation makes a good rum. Here's the first batch for you to enjoy.

Mix #28 Gunslinger's Grave

2oz Citadelle gin 1oz orange juice 3/4oz lemon juice 1/2oz grenadine 1/4oz passionfruit syrup 1/4oz allspice dram 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2oz soda water

Shake everything except soda. Pour soda into glass and add mix and more ice.

Reminiscent of a Saturn,this sweet gin drink has made it into my regular rotation. I can also highly recommend Citadelle,which has become my gin of choice.

Mix #64 Ferry to the Underworld

1oz Plantation Original Dark rum 1oz Plantation OFTD rum 3/4oz pineapple juice 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz falernum 1/4oz cinnamon syrup 1/4oz allspice dram 1 dash absinthe 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into double rocks glass.

This is reminiscent of the Zombie in taste,and has almost as much kick. A Zombie light if you would.

Mix #65 Fizzy Rum & Gin

1oz Plantation Isle of Fiji rum 1oz Citadelle gin 1/2oz lime juice 1/4oz simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters 4oz ginger beer

Shake everything except ginger beer with ice. Pour ginger beer into tall glass,strain mix into glass,then top with some pellet ice.

This has some real ginger burn and is basically a hopped up Dark & Stormy. If you like D&S's,or are just partial to ginger beer,you'll love this.

Mix #66 Ghostly Shadows

2oz Plantation Isle of Fiji rum 1.25oz lemon juice 1/2oz cinnamon syrup 1/4oz honey syrup 1/4oz passionfruit syrup

Shake with ice and pour into glass.

An interesting drink that bounces back and forth between honey sweet and cinnamon spice.

Mix #67 Pineapple Maze

2oz Plantation Stiggins Fancy Pineapple rum 3/4oz simple syrup 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz grapefruit juice 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice.

With that much simple I figured this would be too sweet,but it actually has a good balance. There's a pineapple start with a grapefruit finish. The Stiggins is excellent pineapple rum;read the label for the interesting story behind it.

Mix #68 Roaming Skull

1oz Plantation Original Dark rum 1oz Plantation 3 Stars Artisanal rum 1oz apricot liqueur* 1oz lemon juice 1.5oz coconut cream

Blend with ice.

*I used apricot brandy

I expected it to have a heavy coconut flavor,but it was actually quite tart with lemon forward. Not my thing,but if you like sour give it a try.

Mix #69 Tombstone Grog

1oz Plantation XO 20th Anniversary rum 1oz Plantation Isle of Fiji rum 1oz grapefruit juice 3/4oz lime juice 1/2oz cinnamon syrup 1/4oz falernum 1/4oz allspice dram

Shake with ice and pour into glass.

This is very spicy with a cinnamon burn. Not my thing,but if you like a drink with some burn,you'll enjoy this.

So enjoy these spooky concoctions,and be sure to check out the Search For Tiki to see what they do for Halloween this year. Unpleasant dreams.

Here we go again!

So it's that time of year again folks. The weather is turning cooler,the leaves are changing color,and the Search for Tiki is doing another round of their 13 Nights of Tiki Frights. Be sure to check out their site to enter to win mugs,watch cool podcasts,and try new Halloween-themed Tiki drinks. Here's the first one.

Mix #74 Hessian Mercenary

1.5oz Plantation Xaymaca rum 1oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac 1840 Original Formula* 1oz lime juice 1/2oz Pierre Ferrand dry orange curacao 1/2oz orgeat

Shake with ice and pour into Mai Tai glass.

*I used Raynal VSOP.

This pretty much tastes like a standard Mai Tai with a brandy finish. If you're a cognac/brandy fan,give it a try.

I'll be posting most of the rest of tSfT's recipes as they post them. Happy Tiki Halloween!

I still know how you Tiki'd last October.

Here's a sequel you'll like: Last year's 13 Nights of Tiki Frights part II.

Mix #76 Headhunter's Trophy

2oz Plantation Isle of Fiji rum 1oz lemon juice 3/4oz grenadine 1/4oz passionfruit syrup 1 dash absinthe 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and pour into glass.

This was a nice light,fruity drink. Despite being made for Halloween,it would do well as a summer drink.

Mix #77 Necromancer's Potion

1.5oz Plantation Original Dark rum 1oz Plantation OFTD rum 1oz pineapple juice 3/4oz lime juice 1/2oz passionfruit syrup 1/4oz ginger syrup 1 dash absinthe 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into tall glass.

A 'light' loaded Zombie. Very ginger forward with a touch of sweet and some absinthe. For when the standard Zombie is a bit too much.

Mix # 78 Shambling Skeleton

2.5oz Plantation Xaymaca rum 1.5oz Don's mix 1oz orgeat 1/2oz Pierre Ferrand dry curacao 1/2oz lime juice

Shake with ice and pour into mug.

This is basically a sweet Mai Tai with a cinnamon finish. A neat twist on the classic.

Mix #79 Vampire's Fang

1.5oz Plantation OFTD rum 3/4oz grapefruit juice 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz grenadine 1/4oz allspice dram 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into glass.

Citrus-y with a touch of spice. Lives up to its namesake thanks to the overproof rum,it will bite you.

Of course there will be plenty more sequels as this year's Halloween season is just getting started. Stand by for more spooky drinking fun.

More Mai Tais.

There is of course only one real recipe for the Mai Tai,but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to make tweaks and riffs. Here are a few I've recently come across.

Mix #167 Frankie's Mai Tai

1oz Myers's dark rum 1oz Lemon Hart 80 proof rum 1oz orange curacao 1oz orgeat 1/2oz simple syrup half a large lime

Squeeze the juice from the lime half into a double-old-fashioned glass and drop in the rind. Add the rest of the ingredients and fill with ice. Pour contents into shaker,shake,then pour back into glass.

The Mai Tai served at Frankie's in Vegas. Way sweet and the curacao really comes forward. I love their Fink Bomb,but this is not the way to make a Mai Tai. It's too sweet and a Mai Tai is all about balance;none of the ingredients should really come forward,it should just taste like Mai Tai. Hey,can't win them all,even the Pythons had a couple stinker episodes.

Mix #168 Undertow Mai Tai

1oz Smith & Cross rum 1oz Rhum J.M V.S.O.P. rum* 1oz lime juice 3/4oz orgeat 1/2oz Cointreau Noir*

Shake with ice and pour into double rocks glass.

*See below.

Another bar Mai Tai,this time from the Undertow locations in Arizona. A touch sweet,but overall enough of a balance that I liked it. A bit more kick than a regular Mai Tai due to the S&C. Give it a try if you want some variety in your Mai Tais. I used Rhum Barbancourt instead of J.M V.S.O.P. Both are agricoles,which means they're made from sugar cane juice instead of from molasses like most rums. This makes them extra funky and flavorful,but the S&C plus Noir help keep it in its place so as not to overwhelm the drink. I also made my own Noir. According to my research,Cointreau Noir is Cointreau and cognac in a 70/30 blend. So I mixed 70ml of Cointreau to 30ml of VSOP brandy to make my own. It's very similar to Grand Marnier,maybe a bit drier. I still prefer Pierre Ferrand in a Mai Tai,but this works pretty good as well.

Mix #169 Breakfast Mai Tai

1.5oz Smith & Cross rum 1/2oz Gifford Banane du Bresil 1oz lime juice 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz cinnamon syrup 3/4oz Coruba rum

Put everything except Coruba into a shaker with a couple ice pellets and shake until they're gone. Then pour into double rocks glass,add Coruba,and top with ice.

Created by Fanny Chu at the Donna in NYC. So I've no idea what this has to do with breakfast,other than eating cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon really comes forward. There's a touch of banana at the end,but this is basically a cinnamon Mai Tai. It's also got plenty of kick due to the one and a half ounces of Navy rum. A couple of these and you'll want to go back to bed. The instructions are also odd,the Coruba isn't a float,it's going to mix in when you add the ice so you might as well just shake everything together. At the end it just didn't do anything for me,but if you're into cinnamon give it a shot.

So go ahead and explore the limits of Mai Tai. After all,variety is the spice of life.

Concentrate…con-cen-trate…

Trader Vic created the Mai Tai in 1944. It's since become the most famous Tiki drink,and my personal favorite. Normally you would need five ingredients to make one,but Trader Vic has products that will let you do it with only three. Rum,lime juice,and one of their mixers.

The first is Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix. Now,all respect to the Trader's,but this really isn't worth getting unless you mean to mix a bunch of drinks for a cookout with non-Tiki people. If Mai Tais are pizzeria pizza,then this is Hot Pockets pizza. It makes Mai Tais that are a bit on the sour side and just aren't that great. Skip this.

Next is Trader Vic's Mai Tai Concentrate. This is actually pretty good. Two ounces of rum(two dark or one each of dark and gold),three quarters of an ounce of concentrate,and an ounce of lime juice and you have a passable Mai Tai. Not as good as a scratch made one,but pretty good. Think of it as frozen pizza. If you're going camping this would be an excellent way to have Mai Tais without dragging along five bottles. The concentrate has also been used to make other Tiki drinks,and here's a couple that I've made.

Mix #3 TV's Guava Tai

1oz gold rum 1oz light rum 3/4oz Trader Vic's Mai Tai Concentrate(not mix) 1oz guava juice 1/2oz lime juice.

Shake with ice and pour into Mai Tai glass.

A guava-flavored Mai Tai. If you like guava,you'll like this.

Mix #180 Pinky Gonzalez

2oz tequila 3/4oz Trader Vic's Mai Tai Concentrate 1/2oz lime juice

Shake with ice and pour into mug.

This Trader Vic creation is basically a tequila Mai Tai. If you like tequila,give it a try. They even have a Cinco de Mayo glass just for it.

Mix #181 Moku Nani(Beautiful Island)

1oz light rum 1oz dark rum 1/4oz Trader Vic's Mai Tai Concentrate 1/4oz orange curacao 1.5oz orange juice 1oz pineapple juice 1/2oz lemon juice 1/4oz lime juice 1/4oz passionfruit syrup

Flash blend with ice and pour into Green Marine Tumbler.

Tart and citrus-y,this would be a good drink for a hot day.

Mix #182 Drum of Ku

1.5oz 151 rum 1/2oz sloe gin 3/4oz Trader Vic's Mai Tai Concentrate 1.5oz cranberry juice 3/4oz lemon juice 1/4oz lime juice 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Flash blend with ice and pour into mug.

Woof. With an ounce and a half of 151,your head will beat like a drum if you have more than two of these. This is slightly tart with the cranberry juice coming forward and a Mai Tai finish. Quite good but very strong.

So concentrate on your mixings. It may not help you to find enlightenment,but you'll have some stories to tell.

Countdown…4…3…2…1

Well,here we are. Counting down the last few mixes until I hit number TWO HUNDRED. As I like pirate stuff,these all have a pirate and/or nautical theme. Enjoy!

Mix #196 Captain Ron

1oz Haitian agricole rhum 1oz rye whiskey 3/4oz lemon juice 3/4oz velvet falernum 3/4oz grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into chilled glass.

Created in 2020 by bartender Bryan Crowder in the Ice Plant Bar in St. Augustine,FL,this is sweet and funky with a spice and whiskey aftertaste. The bright red color is also cool. A good drink to try if you're looking for something a little different.

Mix #197 Captain's Blood

1.5oz dark Jamaican rum 1oz lime juice 1/3oz honey syrup 1/4oz falernum 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into chilled glass.

Created by Doug Winship(whose blog is down),this is very tart with a bit of sweet and spice at the end. Good if you like tart,but I added some Demerara syrup.

Mix #198 Aquadisiac

2oz gold rum 1oz lemon juice 1/2oz blue curacao 1/2oz orgeat

Shake with ice and pour into glass.

This bright turquoise concoction is from Beachbum Berry. It's basically a slightly tart Mai Tai. A nice summer drink and also good for folks who like to try Mai Tai riffs.

Mix #199 Deep Blue Sea

1.5oz light rum 1/2oz blue curacao 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz lemon juice 1/2oz fassionola 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz allspice

Shake with ice and pour into mug.

So,one of the reasons I didn't post actual pics of the drink is because it didn't turn out a pretty color. Despite the blue curacao,the Jonathan English fassionola I used caused it to turn a grape-ish purple. It tasted good with a nice sweet/tart balance and a bit of spice on the end,but this is a drink you want to serve in an opaque mug. Creator Brian Maxwell did this on his blog,but I've seen posters on Youtube and Facebook who got a pretty blue color. I think they may have gamed the system somehow. In any case,this is another winner from Brian,just don't put it in a glass.

Well,that's 199 down. Next is the big two-o-o. And it's gonna be a good one. Stay tuned folks. Aloha!

Happy Mai Tai Day!

Once again,it's time for Tiki's favorite holiday,MAI TAI DAY! The day when we salute the birth of the magic elixir created by Victor Bergeron in 1944. My first post was on the classic Mai Tai,so for today I've decided to mix a pair of modern Mai Tai riffs I think you'll really like. Enjoy!

Mix #217 Blue Hawai-Tai

1oz Wray & Nephew Overproof rum 1/2oz Plantation 3 Stars rum 1/2oz blue curacao 1oz lemon juice 1/2oz orgeat 1/2oz simple syrup

Shake with ice and pour into snifter glass.

From Mai Tai expert Kevin Crossman comes a delicious spin on the classic recipe. While I thought the lemon would sour it,it's in fact a touch sweet with some super funk on the end. And the W&N gives it some real kick. The pretty blue color in the snifter also makes for an eye-pleasing experience. Another winning Mai Tai from the master.

Mix #218 S.O.S. Mai Tai

1.5oz rhum agricole blanc 1/2oz pot still Jamaican rum 3/4oz lime juice 3/4oz orgeat 1/2oz orange curacao

Shake with ice and pour into collins glass. If you're fancy,add a spent lime shell with flaming 151.

Created by bartender Ean Bancroft at the S.O.S. bar in Georgia,this is another good sweet/funky riff. Funkier than the Blue Hawai-Tai,but not as strong,if you're looking to have more than one,I'd go with this. Either way,these are both good spins on the classic recipe.

So celebrate the day with an original Mai Tai or a riff. Maita'i roa ae!

CAN I JUST STAY HERE?

MASTERLIST | JEAN KIRSTEIN X F!READER

synopsis: having spent years fighting side by side, you and jean finally confess your feelings the night before leaving for marley.

warnings: slight swearing, mentions of death

notes: I don’t know what this is, I really just wrote whatever was coming to mind so it’s kinda messy I think but I hope you all enjoy it anyways

Laughter filled the area around you as the four of you sat together, enjoying what you all knew could very well be your last meal.

It had become a tradition in your cadet days to have a feast before a battle, though it’s been years since then and you’ve lost many, the tradition was carried on by the four of you.

Tomorrow, you’d be leaving for Marley. Leaving to aid Eren in his plan to declare war on the Marleyans.

This could be the last time you saw your friends happy and alive.

“Y/N, stop pouting!” Connie’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts as he pointed his cup in your direction, the wine sloshing against the sides as he moved. “This is supposed to be fun, don’t ruin it!”

“Sorry,” you smiled at the boy.

Sasha, who sat beside you, threw an arm over your shoulders. “Don’t apologise, Y/N!” Though her voice was typically loud, it seemed even louder now as the effects of the alcohol she stole weighed down on the duo.

As the two began bickering between themselves, you found your gaze drifting to Jean. He sat across from you, his eyes trained on his food as he mindlessly poked at it, his cup laying forgotten at his side.

It wasn’t too much of a surprise, you realised. Now that you were fighting again, his promotion to section commander meant more than just extra hours.

It meant that now he would possibly be leading people to their death, that was always something Jean hated the most about working in the Survey Corps.

Death seemed to follow you everywhere.

While trapped in your thoughts, you didn’t hear Jean’s announcement that he would be leaving, at least until his figure began to stand up.

With a frown, you watched him leave the tables that had been set up for the scouts to eat at.

Something was wrong.

Without a word to Sasha and Connie, you took off running after Jean, ignoring the loud questioning of the people you left behind with the food.

“Jean, wait up!” You called out, rushing to catch up with him.

Releasing a shaky breath, you came to a stop beside him. “Are you… are you okay?”

Jean’s expression softened slightly, before he quickly averted his gaze, a quiet ‘yeah’ falling from his lips as he avoided your gaze.

Not very convincing, you thought.

“Hey, I have something to show you.” You took his hand in your own, using it to pull him forward despite his objections that it was getting late.

The ride from the Scouts campsite to the ocean had been a fairly quick one, though maybe it only felt that way due to the comfortable silence you had fallen into it.

“This couldn’t have waited till tomorrow?” Even in the darkness you could see Jean raise a brow, as he jumped off his horse.

“Absolutely not.” Finishing tying your own horse to the tree beside you, you glanced back at Jean, faltering for a moment at the sight of him.

With the shadows of the flames from his torch dancing across his face and the moon’s light shining down on him, he looked stunning.

No, he always looked stunning. Though you had never had the guts to tell him.

With the upcoming mission, maybe you would never have the guts to tell him…

“Let’s- let’s go.”

Coming to a stop by the water line, you glanced back at Jean, not missing the way his shirt grew tighter around his biceps as he crossed his arms.

“What are we doing out here, Y/N?”

“Well, it’s calming, for starters,” you told him, nodding toward the waves that washed against the shore before pulling back out into the ocean.

When you were a cadet, you could only ever dream of seeing the ocean. With the Titans that lured outside the walls, it was an impossible thought.

But now with the Titans eradicated, it was safe to be standing here.

Rather than looking out into the dark ocean that seemed to shine under the moonlight, Jean remained focused on you.

Though you seemed sad back at dinner, your eyes were now lit up, and the smile he loved so much was gracing your features.

Snapping out of your thoughts, you grinned at him. “Okay, we’re here so you can get it all off your chest.”

The smile slipped from his face, replaced by a look of confusion as he stared at you. “What?”

“All your worries, and doubts,” you explained. “Just… just scream. No one will hear except the ocean and- and me.”

His eyes flickered from you to the water as you continued. “Sasha and I do this sometimes when things get to be too much. I know it sounds weird, but it helps, I promise.”

Silence filled the beach, the only noise being the waves crashing against the sand.

Reaching out, you placed your hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to, I just thought-”

“I love you.”

It was a whisper, something you were sure you would’ve missed had you not been standing right next to him.

As his eyes met yours, you noticed he was now blushing. The red painted across his cheeks making you realise he was being serious, though that didn’t stop the whisper that left your lips.

“What?”

His head snapped away from yours as his hands came up to his face, cupping around his mouth to make himself louder as he shouted. “I’m in love with my best friend!”

Your eyes widened, and you could feel your face heating up as he continued even after your hand dropped from his shoulder.

“I’ve loved her since we first met! And I haven’t stopped!”

“Jean-”

“She’s the best person I know, and the strongest! I’ve loved her more than I’ve loved anyone!”

Unable to handle the embarrassment of him shouting a confession of love toward the ocean any longer, you quickly grabbed onto the collar of his shirt, using your grip to pull him closer and kiss him.

He froze against you for just a moment, until he kissed back passionately, as if he was making up for all the times this could’ve happened earlier on.

His hands fell from your face as he resorted to holding your hips, pulling you closer as he deepened the kiss.

You pulled back breathlessly, staring at him as tears began to fill your eyes.

He instantly took a step back, a look of concern painted over his visage. “Shit, are you- are you okay?”

Despite the tears falling from your eyes, you nodded and smiled softly. Taking his hand into your own, you lifted it up to hold your face once more, leaning into his touch like you never wanted him to let go. “I just… you don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear that, Jean.”

His thumb brushed against your cheekbone, wiping away the tears as he pressed his forehead against yours.

Not a single word was uttered as you stood there in each other’s arms, and as he pressed his lips to yours once more, you realised you never wanted to leave this moment.

You wanted to stay here, with him, for the rest of your lives.

No more fighting. No more wars.

Just the two of you.

“I love you, too.”

TAGLIST (i forgot abt this for awhile sorry, please lmk if you want to be removed/added)

@vinseul @myparaiuman @dai-tsukki-desu @may-machin @answer-the-sirens @ley-writes @sashaisangel @french-girl-online @megumiisee @wonhyuksstuff @milk-n-cuwukies @jeanbabygirl @c0urtn3y @natashasupremacy

where will they propose to you?

(featuring reiner, jean, connie and hange)

genre: modern au | fluff

word count: 1.7k+

warnings: swearing, slight nsfw

a/n: this is my first time writing for the characters i don’t usually write so feedbacks are very much appreciated! i want to write about them more in the future >3<

Keep reading

HAIKYUU BOYS WHEN YOU DONT SAY 'I LOVE YOU' BACK

ft. timeskip! matsukawa issei, suna rintarou, akaashi keiji, tendou satori, sugawara koushi

tw: food mention on tendou one, sitting on tendous lap, mentions of death in issei's

pronouns: she/her

authors note: I writed this two hourss ago and I like the result so here you go, also I had a hard time writing tendou pls

• MATSUKAWA was getting ready for work, putting on his usual white dress shirt and that cologne you loved so much, you already thougth about this prank for quite a time now, and this was the perfect moment "okay love, wait me for dinner, i love you, im gonna get going" you didn't even bother to take your eyes from your phone "okay issei, have fun with the dead" he was about to close the appartment door, key word: was "arent you forgetting something, doll?" perfect, your plan is going perfect "mmm i don't think so, i actually did all the chores in the morning so i could have the rest of the day free" he sighs, unsatisfasied with your answer "okay then, i love you" he is leaning in the door frame, waiting for your answer with a frustread look on his face "issei you good? its getting late" he gives up, he needed that your reply before going to work "doll dont do this to me, i love you, please tell me you love me" he tells you with a litlle pain in his voice and you knew the joke was over "i love you issei very, very much in fact" you say while going to him, placing your hand in the fabric that was on his chest "finally doll, i love you more" and before going he gives you a sweet, deep and quick kiss, of course, he is late after all

• SUNA and you were napping on the couch, ignoring all the responsbailities you two could have, enjoying eachothers presence with out exchangin any words, it was a rainy day and that screamed movies and cuddles together. a friend told you to do this joke on him after you told her how clingy he was when both of you were lying somewhere togheter. "you know i love you, rigth?" and he is in for the game "yeah i know rin, you made it very clear this last few years" he moves his head litlle, trying to process what you just said to him "rin? why you moving? you uncomfy bub?" he pouts like a two year old that can't touch fire "im not uncomfy, im actually unloved, my own girlfriend doesn't love me anymore" you were trying your best not to laugth at his childish reaction "and who told you that i dont love you" he gasped, how did you have the audacity to say that to him? "actually my oh so called girlfriend didn't told me 'i love you' back, so i think im currently single" and that made you snap "suna rintaro! you are my man and i hope its clear to you, i love you so much, my man, only mine" now he his the one laughing at your childish remark "jealous i see? but yes bub, only yours, forever and ever"

• AKAASHI was getting out of bed aerly as usual so he could go to work, he did his usual rutine and had a coffee, a thing that he called it a very good breakfast; the las thing he did was giving you a soft kiss in your forehead while you were still sleeping "i love you sweet thing, rest well" with sleepy eyes, groogy mouth and morning scent you told him "good luck, keiji" uh? maybe it slipped her mind, he thougth. his day as work was hard, he had this uneasy feeling in his heart and couldnt stop thinking about it, is she feeling loved? the moment he got home he was already backhugging you "i missed you today, how did you do?" you were happy to see him, finally you were waiting for him all day "hi keiji, i missed you a lot too, i actually started the book you were telling me about it and you're rigth! its awesome" he knows you are alrigth but he needs to ask so the feeling inside him would let him free "hey... do you still love me?" it came out more as a whisper, a litlle scared for your answer "of course i love you keiji, why would i stop loving you? you are my lovely husband" he quickly kisses you, finally feeling some relieve "its just that you didnt said i love you back this morning" you put your arms around his neck and bring his forehead to yours "i could never stop loving you keiji, never in a million years, dont trust anything i say when im sleepy tho"

• TENDOU bought some handmade chocolates home, those you loved so much and couldn't stop eatin, you had to ask him frequently to hide them for you "ugh satori i fucking love this chocolates you always make them so good" he sees you with red hearts on his eyes how you were eating the foo he made for you "and i love you" that caugth you out of guarrd, you gave him just a litlle nod because now you were shy, how can he be so smooth?. that didnt go as planned for him, why didnt you replied? were you already tired of him? he knew it was only that stupid litlle voice in his head but just the thougth of you not loving him was heartbreaking. he waited until you finished eating before asking "umh, i know this is me overthinking but do you love me?" your eyes big and round, brows on top of your forehead, with amused expression you replied "of course i love you, actually im sure youre the love of my life, why are you asking?" god wasn't he feeling embarrassed but relieved at the same time "nothing, is just that you didnt told me 'i love you back' and i started to overthink" you made your way towars him and placed yourself ln his lap "i love you satori, with all i have, i will tell you that every minute i have left in my life is necesarry" now both his hans on your waist his nose boopping yours, he whispers "im glad, i love you too, so much, cant wait to see what the future has planned for us"

•SUGAWARA and you always pulled pranks on each other, it was a silent pact you two had since the beginning of your relationship, you saw this prank in social media and thougth it would be great to put it on him. suga was now grading some of his students works while you were getting ready to work "bye koushi, il see you in a few hours, please take care" he gets up and pecks you goodbye "good luck, i love you" trying very hard not to laught you answer him " i know! goodbye now" he was left there, alone, in the house, and most important of all, without a 'i love you' from his favorite person in the world. he thougth that maybe you were mad at him for something so after he graded a few more works he did all the jobs around the house and lit some of your favorites candles around. the moment you opened the door he was all over you "im sorry if i upseted you, please im sorry i dint mean it, i swear i will start foulding my clothes" now, this is epic "but koushi, im not mad at you" he is dumbfounded "what? but you didnt say 'i love you? today before work" it was your time to laugh and pull him close to you with a hug "you mister sugawara, my smart husband, fell directly into my trap but i want to remind you now that the prank is over that i love you with all my heart" he placed his hands on your hips and rolled his eyes "i swear, im gonna get back at you"