Mai Tai Cocktail
This Polynesian cocktail was created by Victor J. Bergeron for his restaurant Trader Vic’s in California. This tiki cocktail is perfect to make ahead of time, to serve and enjoy at the party, making bartending easier and the drinks flowing!
This recipe makes 80 eight-ounce cocktails, factoring in some non-ice issues, to make the cocktail the right balance of flavors.
- 1.75 liter rum, silver
- 1.75 liter rum, gold
- 750 ml rum, dark
- 750 ml Grand Mariner
- 750 ml Orgeat syrup, almond flavored syrup
- 1 gallon pineapple juice no pulp or filtered | strained
- 2 quart water, alkaline
- 1 liter coconut water
- 1 1/2 quart tangerine juice or Cutie Tangerine Juice
- 3 quart Gatorade, Orange
- 48 ounce Clementine Juice, canned
- 1 quart Yerba Mate Orange Essence
- 1/2 bottle grenadine syrup for garnish (optional)
- Begin by having a clean and sanitized 5-gallon keg ready and the lid removed. I like to purge the keg with Nitrogen | CO2 Blend, as this gas is heavier than air, helping to prevent oxygenation.
- Pour in the silver, gold and dark rum, Grand Mariner, orgeat syrup, pineapple juice, alkaline water, coconut water, tangerine juice, orange-flavored Gatorade, clementine juice and Yerba Mate Orange essence. Seal with its lid and attach the CO2 to the out port on the keg. Turn the regulator to 40 PSI and begin to shake the keg. After a few shakes, lift the pressure relief valve to purge any remaining air in the keg. This will also help keep the chance of this cocktail going bad.
- Shake the keg for 3 - 4 minutes, letting the keg fill with gas, while mixing the cocktail.
- Remove the gas line and label the cocktail. Place it into a The libation Trailer, kegerator, or other refrigeration and keep below 40. Before serving, give the keg a shake, just to be sure all the ingredients are mixed.
- To serve, pour this keg off Nitrogen | CO2 Blend gas as to not carbonate the cocktail, into glasses, tiki-themed or not. It can be poured over ice if the weather is hot.
Cocktail Variation:
- Substitute the orange juice with 1 1/2 quart tangerine juice, 1/2 quart orange juice and 2 quarts of orange flavored Gatorade.
Cost of 5 Gallons of Mai Tai's on tap:
rum, silver: $16.99
rum, gold: $16.99
rum, dark: $24.99
Grand Mariner: $42.00
Orgeat syrup, almond flavored syrup: $8.49
pineapple juice: $8.31
water, alkaline: $3.49
coconut water: $3.99
tangerine juice: $9.95
Gatorade, Orange: $9.00
Clementine Juice, canned: $6.00
Yerba Mate Orange Essence: $7.00
1/2 bottle grenadine syrup for garnish (option): $5.00
Total Cost: $162.45
Total Servings: 80
Cost per Drink: $2.03
