IBA
Mai Tai – IBA
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 19.7% ABV ∙
The Mai Tai IBA is the official competition build of the tiki classic: two rums, orange curaçao, orgeat, and lime, shaken and served in a highball glass. Vigorous shaking builds a frothy, well-chilled texture where tart citrus and nutty sweetness lock together before a lingering, faintly fruity finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Light gold rum 30 mlMartinique molasses rhum 30 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 15 mlOrgeat (almond) syrup 15 mlLime juice 30 mlSugar syrup 7 ml
- Pour into a double rocks glass or an highball glass
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge, a mint sprig and a lemon twist
- Note: The martinique molasses rum used by Trader Vic was not an Agricole Rhum but a type of “rummy” from molasses
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass before building so the drink doesn't lose its cold shake-flash by the time it's poured.
- Express the lemon twist over the top just before serving so its oils sit on the surface rather than getting shaken in.
- Shake hard and briefly over ice, then strain quickly — over-shaking melts too much ice and dilutes the orgeat's body.
History
This entry is the International Bartenders Association's official specification for the Mai Tai, one of the "Contemporary Classics" on the IBA's list of official cocktails. The IBA codifies the drink with a split base of Jamaican and Martinique rums alongside orange curaçao, orgeat, and lime juice, standardizing proportions so bartenders worldwide pour a consistent version rather than the many diluted or reformulated Mai Tais that spread through Waikiki hotel bars in the mid-20th century.
The IBA build follows the lineage of the Mai Tai as created by Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron, who said he mixed the drink in 1944 at his restaurant in Oakland, California, using aged Jamaican rum, lime juice, orange curaçao, and orgeat, and named it after a Tahitian guest's exclamation of approval. Bergeron's claim was disputed by rival tiki restaurateur Donn Beach, who said he had served a similarly named drink years earlier, a dispute that even reached a courtroom. The IBA recipe follows Bergeron's version rather than Beach's, though its listed specification has been adjusted over the years, including changes to the lime juice measure from the leaner proportion of earlier printed versions.
FAQ
How do you make a Mai Tai IBA cocktail?
Shake the light gold rum, Martinique molasses rhum, orange curaçao, orgeat, lime juice, and sugar syrup together with ice, then pour into a pre-chilled highball glass. Finish with a pineapple wedge, a mint sprig, and a lemon twist as garnish.
What does a Mai Tai IBA cocktail have in it?
Two rums (a light gold Jamaican rum and a Martinique molasses rhum), orange curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, fresh lime juice, and a touch of sugar syrup, shaken with ice. It is garnished with a pineapple wedge, a mint sprig, and a lemon twist.
What is an IBA cocktail?
An IBA cocktail is one of the official recipes standardized by the International Bartenders Association, the body that sets recognized specifications for classic and contemporary drinks worldwide. The Mai Tai IBA is the association's codified version of the tiki classic, built to a specific spec rather than the many bar-to-bar variations found elsewhere.
What is a classic Mai Tai recipe?
The classic Mai Tai is a rum-forward tiki sour built around aged rum's funk and orgeat's almond sweetness. This IBA build follows that structure, splitting the rum between a light gold Jamaican rum and a Martinique molasses rhum, shaken with ice and poured into a highball glass.
What are some common Mai Tai mistakes?
The most common mistake is using a bottled almond syrup instead of real orgeat, which leaves the drink thin and overly sweet rather than nutty and rounded. Over-shaking or under-icing is another, since the drink needs a hard, quick shake for proper dilution, not a long slushy one; skipping fresh lime juice for bottled juice also flattens the citrus snap the drink relies on.
