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Mai Tai @ Bali Hai |
telescopes
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 06, 2007
Posts: 554
From: Palm Springs
|  Posted: 2011-05-11 10:48 am Permalink
The mai tai at the Bali Hai is its own thing - and experience.
I wouldn't classify it as a mai tai at all. In fact, it is basically more of a rum martini to my way of thinking.
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1121
From: Birdland - San Diego
| Posted: 2011-05-14 10:28 am Permalink
Rum martini? I don't know about that. I think the ingredients of Bali Hai's mai tai basically mirror a Trader Vic's mai tai. Observe:
TRADER VIC // BALI HAI
1 oz Jamaican Rum // 1 oz Myers
1 oz Martinique Rum // 1 oz Ron Rico
Juice of 1 Lime & 1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup // 1 oz Sweet & Sour
1/2 oz Orange Curacao // 1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/4 oz Orgeat // 1/2 oz Orgeat
_________________
"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge
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telescopes
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 06, 2007
Posts: 554
From: Palm Springs
| Posted: 2011-05-15 10:27 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-05-14 10:28, arriano wrote:
Rum martini? I don't know about that. I think the ingredients of Bali Hai's mai tai basically mirror a Trader Vic's mai tai. Observe:
TRADER VIC // BALI HAI
1 oz Jamaican Rum // 1 oz Myers
1 oz Martinique Rum // 1 oz Ron Rico
Juice of 1 Lime & 1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup // 1 oz Sweet & Sour
1/2 oz Orange Curacao // 1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/4 oz Orgeat // 1/2 oz Orgeat
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On good days, I agree. On rushed days with a neophyte bartender, it's just rum and sun.
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1121
From: Birdland - San Diego
| Posted: 2011-05-15 5:45 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-05-15 10:27, telescopes wrote:
On good days, I agree. On rushed days with a neophyte bartender, it's just rum and sun.
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HAHA.... well, I can't argue with that. 
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bamalamalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 383 | Posted: 2011-05-15 8:51 pm Permalink
I wouldn't either. But lately it's been yellow sugar water - THAT I argue with!
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gold zephyr
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 29, 2010
Posts: 87
From: Los Angaleeze
| Posted: 2011-05-18 12:27 am Permalink
Bali hi abused my liver with a fiery mai tai libation. Thank you Bali Hai
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Chippy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 24, 2010
Posts: 221
From: Sunny Southern California
| Posted: 2011-05-21 3:12 pm Permalink
After reading this thread I had to try and mix one of these up myself and join the controversy.
I follwed the recipe above; however I used Cruzan for the light rum, Coruba for the dark Jamaican, Trader Tiki Orgeat, and some home made sweet and sour.
As mentioed above, the first sip is a powerfull one. Strong and dry. But as the sips continued and the drink was allowed to mellow, I must admit, it developed into a nice sipping cocktail.
I would definately not put this into the class of drink that I would call "refreshing" but as a relaxing cocktail I would heartily recomend it. The perfect drink to sit back and watch the rest of my Dr. No DVD.
Cheers!
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MrBaliHai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 01, 2002
Posts: 775 | Posted: 2011-05-24 05:08 am Permalink
Made one over the weekend, using the Bum's recipe, and found it to be reasonably tasty and well-balanced. I had one at the Bali Hai restaurant years ago, and as others have noted, thought it was very harsh and boozy. My conclusions are that a) either the Bum's recipe ain't the real thing, or b) the BH bartenders are spiking it deliberately or from lack of experience.
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telescopes
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 06, 2007
Posts: 554
From: Palm Springs
| Posted: 2011-05-24 1:09 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-05-24 05:08, MrBaliHai wrote:
Made one over the weekend, using the Bum's recipe, and found it to be reasonably tasty and well-balanced. I had one at the Bali Hai restaurant years ago, and as others have noted, thought it was very harsh and boozy. My conclusions are that a) either the Bum's recipe ain't the real thing, or b) the BH bartenders are spiking it deliberately or from lack of experience.
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I imagine the Bum's recipe is probably "the" recipe; however, that would be the "official" recipe. The "practitioner's recipe is the one that is very harsh and boozy. This is "THE" Bali Hai recipe that has become "THE" recipe of record. The "official" recipe is the one given to patrons when one ask for a recipe.
I don't think I've ever had an "official" Mai Tai from the Bali Hai in say the last ten years.
Frankly, it is a lousy Mai Tai - but yet - I order it every time I go there.
To be honest, it is the type of Mai Tai that is so poorly made that one could never reproduce it in a million years if one tried.
It is so utterly terrible that it becomes uniquely "great". Somehow, the booze and the lack of whatever they leave out or rarely pour to correct proportions achieves an utterly incomprehensible balance of correctness.
I don't get it, but I have learned to love it.
Viva, Bali Hai Mai Tai - You are absolutely "out of this world!"
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1121
From: Birdland - San Diego
| Posted: 2011-05-24 4:21 pm Permalink
The Bum's recipe is indeed the official one. It's been printed numerous times. Here's an example from the San Diego Union-Tribune:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/jul/01/1f01readersm185113/?uniontrib
And I wouldn't be surprised if bartenders don't regularly float Bacardi 151 or do something similar to spike it up.
_________________
"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge
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Chippy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 24, 2010
Posts: 221
From: Sunny Southern California
| Posted: 2011-05-24 5:21 pm Permalink
Am I missing something but where is the"Official Jeff Berry" approved version of this cocktail. I thumbed through my copies of my books and I cannot find it anywhere.
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MrBaliHai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 01, 2002
Posts: 775 | Posted: 2011-05-24 5:43 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-05-24 16:21, arriano wrote:
And I wouldn't be surprised if bartenders don't regularly float Bacardi 151 or do something similar to spike it up.
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They must be. The two ounces of rum in the official recipe didn't even come close to the booziness of the restaurant version.
[ This Message was edited by: MrBaliHai 2011-05-24 17:44 ]
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MrBaliHai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 01, 2002
Posts: 775 | Posted: 2011-05-24 5:44 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-05-24 17:21, Chippy wrote:
Am I missing something but where is the"Official Jeff Berry" approved version of this cocktail. I thumbed through my copies of my books and I cannot find it anywhere.
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The recipe is in "Intoxica!"
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bamalamalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 383 | Posted: 2011-05-24 6:50 pm Permalink
Quote:
| And I wouldn't be surprised if bartenders don't regularly float Bacardi 151 or do something similar to spike it up.
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They must be. The two ounces of rum in the official recipe didn't even come close to the booziness of the restaurant version.
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Nah, I've watched a LOT of them being made, and I've never seen anything other than the standard ingredients go in. It's just that nobody measures.
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Chippy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 24, 2010
Posts: 221
From: Sunny Southern California
| Posted: 2011-05-24 7:01 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-05-24 17:44, MrBaliHai wrote:
Quote:
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On 2011-05-24 17:21, Chippy wrote:
Am I missing something but where is the"Official Jeff Berry" approved version of this cocktail. I thumbed through my copies of my books and I cannot find it anywhere.
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The recipe is in "Intoxica!"
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Well I don't have intoxica and I cannot find it in Remixed. I will keep looking.
Thanks
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