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Recipe: Crappy Mai Tai... |
Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2079
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
|  Posted: 2006-05-31 3:47 pm Permalink
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On 2006-05-31 15:20, Humuhumu wrote:
... Plan on making it a few times...
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Excellent Idea! I think I'll I have another!
You know, quality control and scientific stuff......
Who wants to join me in studying the melting time of crushed ice in your average Mai-Tai? Then, who wants to do the same study on an above average Mai-Tai?
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3388
From: HELL
| Posted: 2006-05-31 10:35 pm Permalink
..here's what i was told, by the bartender of 15 years at trader vics before they closed at the palmer house..he said, that the recipe on the mai tai mix of trader vics is bogus (as if we didn't know) because they would never give away the real recipe to make the original ones found at traders vics ..it was written like that on purpose because hey!!, if folks could make it themselves, they wouldn't need to spend $8 or $9 for one at the trader vics location..that said, he said the secret was in the lime..true traders mai tais are a mix of the trader vics mai tai mix, rum and fresh limes .....forget the other ingredients he said.....it's just a smoke screen......now, if i wasn't so drunk at the time, i would have remembered the brand of rum...there are two ways to make this mai tai...when they were out of that particular rum, he told me the name of a substitue that was used where you could barely tell the difference between the two...luckily i still have his business card....i may have to drop a dime to find out the exact proportions.......
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Humuhumu
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 3536
From: San Francisco
| Posted: 2006-06-01 01:38 am Permalink
As it turns out -- blue curacao & orange curacao may be the same after all! We did a blind taste test between the two tonight at Forbidden Island. The general consensus was that both of the liqueurs were pretty nasty. We weren't clearing our palettes between the two, so if there were any subtle differences, they were lost on us, but basically it's the same stuff, and we couldn't tell them apart.
So, this leads me to the question -- why is it then that I have found blue curacao drinks to be so nearly universally gross? I love the color, and I've always been so disappointed that the drinks are never any good. Plus, some there tonight reported having attempted unsuccessfully to use blue curacao instead of orange in a pinch. The general consensus was that it was a two-pronged thing: 1) in order to get a drink to have a nice blue color, a lot of the blue curacao has to be used, and as was just mentioned, the stuff is vile on its own. Plus, the other ingredients chosen to go with it are selected with consideration for how they might skew the color, not just for taste consideration. 2) when used for substitution, it just looks ugly, just not right at all, and so the taste difference might be psychological.
Because the taste was so very strong, it might be that they are actually different, but we couldn't tell because it left such a vile taste in our mouths. A better test would be to make two actual drinks side-by-side using blue curacao & orange curacao, as that would let the stuff mellow out a bit. But generally speaking, it looks as if the two might be interchangeable, after all.
But boy howdy, would that make a visually unappealling Mai Tai.
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pablus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2003
Posts: 2146
From: www.crazedmugs.com
| Posted: 2006-06-01 05:38 am Permalink
Blue Curacao gives me a headache.
For real and for true.
It must be the dye, or maybe I was beaten up by smurfs when I was a youngin' but one Blue Hawaiian and I'm heading for the aspirin bottle.
Come to think of it, I wretch whenever I see Blue Man Group.
Anyway, I've made Mai Tais using Cointreau in a smaller amount than the curacao and it lifted the drink quite a bit. Triple Sec works in a pinch. Not so great though.
I just got a bottle of Conche Licor from the Kon Hemsbys and I'm going to try a Mai Tai made with that on Saturday. It's orange and vanilla in perfect balance with something else I haven't IDed yet.
Gonna try to create a drink with it too but that's another thread.
(PS - I want to punch you, poki'i, for getting to hang out at Forbidden Island all the time. You should create a drink there called "Jealousy" with midori, falernum and pernod)
[ This Message was edited by: pablus 2006-06-03 13:04 ]
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thejab
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2984
From: Forbidden Island, CA
| Posted: 2006-06-01 10:39 am Permalink
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On 2006-06-01 01:38, Humuhumu wrote:The general consensus was that both of the liqueurs were pretty nasty.
Because the taste was so very strong, it might be that they are actually different, but we couldn't tell because it left such a vile taste in our mouths. A better test would be to make two actual drinks side-by-side using blue curacao & orange curacao, as that would let the stuff mellow out a bit. But generally speaking, it looks as if the two might be interchangeable, after all.
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I didn't think it was awful tasting, just very sweet and a bit of a chemical aftertaste. But it wasn't something I wanted to spit out. I do agree that it would be more meaningful to compare 2 Mai Tais made with orange and blue versions.
pablus: I've tasted Curacao by Senor Curacao (see http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=18559&forum=10) side by side with Hiram Walker Curacao and Cointreau and Grand Mariner and Triple Sec, and based on this I would not use Cointreau in a Mai Tai. It is not even close in taste to curacao. In Cointreau the orange flavor is much more subtle, and other flavors come through when tasted straight. I would definitely use Cointreau in a margarita though because Triple Sec tastes nasty!
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Unga Bunga
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 06, 2003
Posts: 5734
From: CaliTikifornia
| Posted: 2006-06-01 12:06 pm Permalink
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On 2006-06-01 10:39, thejab wrote:
I would definitely use Cointreau in a margarita though because Triple Sec tastes nasty!
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Ditto.
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Hakalugi
Site Administrator
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 2804
From: Redondo Beach, CA
| Posted: 2006-06-01 12:39 pm Permalink
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On 2006-06-01 12:06, Unga Bunga wrote:
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On 2006-06-01 10:39, thejab wrote:
I would definitely use Cointreau in a margarita though because Triple Sec tastes nasty!
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Ditto.
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Agreed! But don't forget that Cointreau IS triple sec. It is the first triple sec. The original label used to say Cointreau Triple Sec. All of the others are just pale imitations.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2006-06-01 12:59 pm Permalink
Orange and blue are the same except color. You can even get other colors on occasion. I have made many Mai Tais with the blue when the orange was not available. No worries.
As for the beginning of this thread...
If you are trying to recreate the taste of Mrs. T's Mai Tai mix, you are going the wrong way. That is not a Mai Tai. You can't then mix a proper Mai Tai and call it poop and gain any ground around here.
Try this other example. Mix a Margarita from the mix and then make one from scratch according to the real recipe and see what's "better." You'll likely gag on the real thing if all you ever drank was Margaritas served at Mexican restaurants from a mix.
If you want to make a Mai Tai from a mix, use Trader Vic's mix. I'll send you a bottle for shipping costs if you want. I have too many here and I have not cracked them in years. Maybe they are bad by now.
Use the juice of half a lime to balance the sweet of the syrup. ANd if you need fresh mint, I'll mail you a plant...
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pablus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2003
Posts: 2146
From: www.crazedmugs.com
| Posted: 2006-06-01 2:11 pm Permalink
I've tasted them all side by side, too - along with that new Patron Cointreau knock-off (not bad) and I guess it depends on what you like.
I don't like the syrupy glaze-over of Curacao so much.
That's why I use a little extra lime when mixing with it, to cut it.
I think the Cointreau has a more realistic orange flavor. Delicate, but certainly not a shrinking flavor.
I agree that Cointreau is most definitely NOT the way to do a proper Mai Tai, but I've used it with good results when the curacao wasn't around.
(which means I ran out)
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Tattoo Donny
Member
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 8 | Posted: 2006-06-01 8:16 pm Permalink
Swankys right, orange and blue curacao are the same.If you must use a curacao,I would recommend Marie Brizard if you can find it but, if you don't mind spending a few extra $$ buy a bottle of Cointreau.You can get it in a 375 ml bottle if you don't want to spring for a fifth.I'm not saying that It's the correct way to make mai tais but,I like it.
Over and out,
Donny
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wjake
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 30, 2006
Posts: 15
From: Champaign, Illinois
| Posted: 2006-06-02 07:35 am Permalink
You guys are all AWESOME--so glad I found this site. Admittedly I'm a Mai Tai virgin, so I went for the syrup first. The taste wasn't that unappealing. And, being younger-ish (35) I missed all those great tiki bars and drinks, so I have nothing to base a Mai Tai on except the syrup crap. I think I'll order some from TV if you all think it's a little closer to what one should taste like.
I was curious about the blue curacao because, being from central IL, I was going to create an I Lai Nai Mai Tai (Illini) and sub blue for orange curacao and float an orange wedge...
Mahalo all.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2006-06-02 07:54 am Permalink
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On 2006-06-02 07:35, wjake wrote:
You guys are all AWESOME--so glad I found this site. Admittedly I'm a Mai Tai virgin, so I went for the syrup first. The taste wasn't that unappealing. And, being younger-ish (35) I missed all those great tiki bars and drinks, so I have nothing to base a Mai Tai on except the syrup crap. I think I'll order some from TV if you all think it's a little closer to what one should taste like.
I was curious about the blue curacao because, being from central IL, I was going to create an I Lai Nai Mai Tai (Illini) and sub blue for orange curacao and float an orange wedge...
Mahalo all.
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Trader Vic's actually uses their Mai Tai mix at the restaurant. They do not mix them from scratch, so, you will be right on with their mix, but still not as good as the recipe. The mix tends to the sour side. You add lime and you are adding more sour to the concoction. But, that's the Mai Tai you get at TV. Pretty sour. They also do not use the good rums. If you use good rum, you should use the scratch recipe, which is lower in sour, and allows the rum tastes to come through. If you use the mix, just use any cheap dark rum.
If you make a Mai Tai with blue curacao instead of orange, you won't get a blue drink exactly. Brown is the traditional color. It'll be blue-ish-brown.
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wjake
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 30, 2006
Posts: 15
From: Champaign, Illinois
| Posted: 2006-06-02 08:02 am Permalink
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It'll be blue-ish-brown.
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You're absolutely right. So I guess it also LOOKS like poop... oy. I think I'll try the TV mix first.
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