IBA
Mai Tai – IBA
A fruity and balanced cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 16.5% ABV ∙
The Mai Tai – IBA is the IBA's official Mai Tai: Jamaican and Martinique rums, orange curaçao, orgeat and lime, shaken and served in a highball glass.
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 everything, ice included, into a double rocks glass or a highball glass
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge, a mint sprig and a lemon twist
History
The Mai Tai – IBA is the International Bartenders Association's official specification for the Mai Tai, one of the "Contemporary Classics" on its 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. Its fixed proportions give bartenders worldwide a consistent standard, unlike the many diluted or reformulated Mai Tais that spread through Waikiki hotel bars in the mid-20th century.
The IBA recipe follows the Mai Tai (Trader Vic’s). Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron said he mixed that drink in 1944 at his restaurant in Oakland, California, with aged Jamaican rum, lime juice, orange curaçao, and orgeat, and named it after a Tahitian guest's exclamation of approval. When that rum ran short, Bergeron switched in the 1950s to a blend of Jamaican and Martinique rums, the same pairing the IBA recipe uses. Rival tiki restaurateur Donn Beach disputed the claim, saying he had served a similarly named drink years earlier.
FAQ
How do you make a Mai Tai IBA cocktail?
Shake 30 ml Jamaican light gold rum, 30 ml Martinique molasses rhum, 15 ml orange curaçao, 15 ml orgeat, 30 ml lime juice and 7 ml sugar syrup with ice. Pour everything, ice included, into a chilled highball or double rocks glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge, a mint sprig and a lemon twist.
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. The Martinique rum here should be a molasses rhum, not a rhum agricole.
What are some common Mai Tai mistakes?
The most common one is a thin, cheap orgeat, which makes the drink sweet instead of nutty. The other is a weak shake: it needs a hard, quick shake with plenty of ice to dilute properly.
