Kevin and I shot some behind-the-scenes footage if you want to check it out. We discuss the ingredients and recipe and then how the drink gets better and better over time. *BEFORE:* th-cam.com/video/31miWxNT3i4/w-d-xo.html *AFTER:* th-cam.com/video/th8ep3VWG-M/w-d-xo.html
I actually agree on this. Hopefully Derek realises the hard work pays off. I would still love some videos of your bar - not a behind the bar look. But more of a ‘kit list’ of shakers, glassware. Tiki mugs, bar Tools, blenders etc. and a scan through of your bottle shelves (this view behind Kevin shows quite the collection!) Keep up the great work. Surprised you weren’t trying for a bottle of Appleton 17 though ;-)
Thanks to you and Kevin. Love all things Mai Tai. It is the nectar of the gods. Your channel is excellent Derek! Keep it up man. You are going to have 100s of thousands of subscribers in time.
Really interesting conversation between you and Kevin. As one of the many folks who wasn't able to try the Legends release, I do appreciate insights from those who were so lucky. If nothing else, I hope that experience will lead to some new blends/recipes that are better able to approximate the Legends flavor profile - hopefully at a more reasonable price.
That was really interesting! The long-gone 17y/o has got to be the perfect Holy Grail/unicorn for any cocktail aficionado to chase. That being said, personally I feel that the impossibility of recreating the original Mai Tai (or maybe actually accomplishing that by chance but having no way of knowing, I don't know which is worse) makes for unlimited artistic liense. During the few months I've spent so far crawling down the mixology rabbit hole I've come to kinda view the Mai Tai as its own template if that makes sense: 3/4oz lime juice, 1/2 of orgeat and orange curacao/liqueur/triple sec, respectively -- and 2oz of whichever rum or combination of rums happens to tickle your fancy. I realize there are stricter interpretations as well as more lenient ones, and I expect drinking one's way through countless variations will eventually lead to developing one's "Mai Tai palate". At least that's my completely newbie-ish, largely uninformed and playfully ignorant take at the moment. After all, we're in it for the fun and enjoyment. Which, to me, means lots of playing around. This maybe one of those instances where the way really is the goal. Cheers! 🥂
Well said and I agree. The hardcore strict ones say no to anything in a Mai Tai that was not originally there, but Trader Vic himself tinkered with the recipe over the years. No one throws a fit when strawberry is in a Daiquiri or a Margarita is missing the orange liqueur. The Mai Tai deserves to be up there with the cocktails that have countless recipes and versions from the fanciest bars to the cheapest chain restaurants.
I’m all for the Greg Easter clone. It’s one of the tastiest Mai Tai’s I’ve had. Very smooth & aromatic. Seems to work great with the other ingredients. For us Aussies who can’t get Denizen it’s a welcome change up along with Kevins ultimate blend.
really like the video and i'm with Derek on that one sentence "when I want a Mai Tai I want..." Some people try for historical accuracy others just for the pure enjoyment of their prefered rum blend maitai. I'm in the vein of I want bolder flavours etc... but also will never not try something different, just may not be my go to.
Terrific video Derek! BIG thanks to Kevin for gifting, not only you, but all of us with that sample! A couple of questions though. . . What made you choose the Latitude 29 orgeat instead of your homemade? Also how does the Appleton 17 Mai Tai compare to one made with Merchant's Reserve, a rum that's much more readily available?
I'll have a BTS video on this that I'll share in the description later today, but it happened very naturally. I think we were of the same mind to make a traditional and somehwhat basic Mai Tai. Not something tinkered with or using flavors that might impact the drink too much. I also wanted Kevin to get a similar experience to what he had already had, so he could compare them. Kevin initially wanted the L29 Orgeat and I did as well, It's a baseline that others have access to and the taste is repeatable, where my recipe might not turn out the same as if someone else made it. We both wanted PF Orange Curacao, which someone might think I would be against but it's the industry standard and does not impart a huge amount of flavor which is what we wanted Appleton called for 1/2 oz of lime where most modern recipes are 3/4 - 1 oz. So we went with 3/4 as not to overpower.
Fun and interesting video. With my income I would never spend $500 on a bottle of rum. I get satisfaction by searching out budget rums and playing with the different combinations. I paid $35 for a bottle of Denizen Merchant’s Reserve and it makes a kick in’ Mai Tai. I’m currently playing with Coruba Dark and the jury is out on what is the best rum partner for it .
great show!! my first real mai tai was so different than what i was making as a new tiki drink mixer, that i asked what rum they were using. i was told vics recipe of 1oz lt rum and 1oz dark. while ive changed the mix around over the years i still come back to a oz. of appleton 12yr and 1oz of lemonheart 1804. i also switched vic's rock candy to simple syrup to cut the sweetness a tad.
There's some links in the episode description for BTS stuff. I would need way more time and way more of the 17 legend to even attempt some type of clone version.
Great video, really interesting, it was great of you to invite Kevin. Personally I don't see the point of trying to recreate the original one - we'll never be able to do it - and we have so much more products/techniques available nowadays that we can, in my opinion, create better ones that can be accessible to anyone.
I agree. I can understand the fun behind making a blend and the thrill of the chase, but it's not possible to re-create the original and it's more than likely that the best rum for a Mai Tai is not the original. Go with whatever you like the best!
One of the factors Kevin and I discussed that didn't make the video was dilution. The drinks I make are colder and less diluted than what you'd get at almost any bar because my ice is colder. That does play a significant factor if you are comparing to something served at a bar. We both found the Mai Tai to be better as it was diluted more.
Probably would have been easier said than done. If you do the math on the sales, mark up, marketing, events, etc... this was not a big money maker for Appleton or Campari. They say this was very difficult to make, and I'm guessing something like this could have a big impact on the rest of the lineup if it ends up taking away more time and resources and ultimately not be worth it.
This is from the late Greg Easter... the best chef in the world: 17 Year Wray & Nephew Rum ‘deconstructed’: 40ml J.M Rhum, Martinique XO 40ml Smith & Cross Rum 15ml White Rum, Plantation 3-Star 10ml Plantation OFTD Rum (69%) 5ml Trois Riveres Martinique Agricole Blanc Rhum 5ml Grand Marnier 5ml Vic’s Rum Nastoyka
Nice little video. It's definently fun to experiment, especially when you get a rare bottle like that, but at the same time the search for the holy grail stuff people are so preoccupied by is a bit silly. Just let it go is my thoughs about it. Wouldn't it be ironic iff you had that time machine and could go back and taste that original Mai-Tai and it turned out to be nothing special?
Respectfully to Greg, his blend was nothing like the Legendary 17. I was unable to taste the 17 in a Mai Tai but did get a taste neat. I found it to be very very good but my palate is not as refined as maybe it needed to be to go OMG that is amazing. What is totally up for discussion is how do we come as close as possible to replicating it? I can see where Jeff was coming from with his Appleton 12/Clement VSOP blend, but is there something that gets us closer? It would have been interesting to see what the Appleton 21 Mai Tai would have tasted like next to the 17 (though the 21 is now hard to find). Maybe the $300 Mai Tai blend that Rumdood posted many years ago would get us close, Appleton 21/Clement XO??
I find the Appleton 21 to be very different from most Appleton expressions and not at all comparable to Legend. It didn't make the cut in the video but it was interesting to taste these two rums side by side considering they were supposed to be replicating the original - but as you noted they are pretty different.
I try not to have hard/firm/definitive takes, but if a blend has an Agricole of any kind then it's probably not going to be like the original and definitely not going to be like the 17 Year Old Legend.
Came her to say the same thing. It's impossible to replicate the original drink in the first place but by omitting one of the ingredients that was specified in the original recipe then you're already making it wrong.
@@chunkymurps absolutely not. What is rock candy syrup? I’d like to hear the exact ratio of sugar to water and then your source. How sweet was the Orgeat? Was it a 2:1 or 1:1 in 1944? I didn’t use DeKuyper Orange Curaçao, but no one is complaining about that. Seems like a bigger ommission. And then what is the actual Mai Tai recipe? Trader Vic shared a recipe in print in 1972 and then in 1973 he shared a recipe with different ratios, also in print. Which one do we choose? Rock candy is sugar syrup. Orgeat is sugar syrup with almond. The only argument that can be made in the recipe we used would be that the almond syrup was too strong and not accurate, but that’s not the case. Some official recipes called for 1/4 oz and other 1/2 oz. By using 1/2 oz plus 1/4 oz rock candy we would have actually ruined this drink by making it too sweet.
Am I the only one who found Kevin a bit.... Rude...? Ok dude, you agreed to use 3/4 oz. lime, if you had such an issue with the lime you should've said that prior to using the 50$ Rum. Lime's acidity is not standard, nor you can control it. It is what it is. If your palate is that refined, you can always taste the Rum. Especially a "legend" one. Jeez. He must've said it like 15 times. Not nice.
I love love love a Mai Tai, but I honestly have zero interest in this bottle, or the general pursuit of "original". It's basically a unicorn for the Legend that it might as well not exist to me.
Of cause I am aware , it’s just way too good a rum for a cocktail in my opinion, I guess it’s all about how pretentious your clientele is . Chairman’s Reserve legacy makes a cracking Mai Tai and it costs £45 a Bottle. Personally I wouldn’t make a Whisky cocktail out of Macallan 15 double cask it’s a waste of bloody good scotch, that was myself trying to get my point across in my first comment.
@johnnyheidi2839 that’s valid, but the whole conversation around neat vs in a cocktail is subjective. I don’t get stuck up on the idea that anything that’s more than $50 must be consumed neat. It’s all about drinking it, so if it tastes better and more enjoyable in a cocktail the costs isn’t important to me.
Kevin and I shot some behind-the-scenes footage if you want to check it out. We discuss the ingredients and recipe and then how the drink gets better and better over time.
*BEFORE:* th-cam.com/video/31miWxNT3i4/w-d-xo.html
*AFTER:* th-cam.com/video/th8ep3VWG-M/w-d-xo.html
This channel is so good that when I get a new video notification, I wait until I can watch on my actual TV. Out of this world - the best!
Wow, thank you! Hopefully not an OLED, I look much better on TVs from 10+ years ago
I actually agree on this. Hopefully Derek realises the hard work pays off.
I would still love some videos of your bar - not a behind the bar look. But more of a ‘kit list’ of shakers, glassware. Tiki mugs, bar Tools, blenders etc. and a scan through of your bottle shelves (this view behind Kevin shows quite the collection!)
Keep up the great work. Surprised you weren’t trying for a bottle of Appleton 17 though ;-)
Savage, he shuts down the 17 mai tai after the first sip. Yeeesh
Every last drop of that 2 ounces got in lol love the slow mo
My favorite part of the video… 😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks to you and Kevin. Love all things Mai Tai. It is the nectar of the gods. Your channel is excellent Derek! Keep it up man. You are going to have 100s of thousands of subscribers in time.
Really interesting conversation between you and Kevin. As one of the many folks who wasn't able to try the Legends release, I do appreciate insights from those who were so lucky. If nothing else, I hope that experience will lead to some new blends/recipes that are better able to approximate the Legends flavor profile - hopefully at a more reasonable price.
Loved this episode!
That was really interesting! The long-gone 17y/o has got to be the perfect Holy Grail/unicorn for any cocktail aficionado to chase. That being said, personally I feel that the impossibility of recreating the original Mai Tai (or maybe actually accomplishing that by chance but having no way of knowing, I don't know which is worse) makes for unlimited artistic liense.
During the few months I've spent so far crawling down the mixology rabbit hole I've come to kinda view the Mai Tai as its own template if that makes sense: 3/4oz lime juice, 1/2 of orgeat and orange curacao/liqueur/triple sec, respectively -- and 2oz of whichever rum or combination of rums happens to tickle your fancy.
I realize there are stricter interpretations as well as more lenient ones, and I expect drinking one's way through countless variations will eventually lead to developing one's "Mai Tai palate". At least that's my completely newbie-ish, largely uninformed and playfully ignorant take at the moment. After all, we're in it for the fun and enjoyment. Which, to me, means lots of playing around. This maybe one of those instances where the way really is the goal. Cheers! 🥂
Well said and I agree. The hardcore strict ones say no to anything in a Mai Tai that was not originally there, but Trader Vic himself tinkered with the recipe over the years.
No one throws a fit when strawberry is in a Daiquiri or a Margarita is missing the orange liqueur. The Mai Tai deserves to be up there with the cocktails that have countless recipes and versions from the fanciest bars to the cheapest chain restaurants.
It's crazy that you still have less than 10k subscribers with all those high quality videos. So here, at least have a comment
I appreciate that!
I’m all for the Greg Easter clone. It’s one of the tastiest Mai Tai’s I’ve had. Very smooth & aromatic. Seems to work great with the other ingredients. For us Aussies who can’t get Denizen it’s a welcome change up along with Kevins ultimate blend.
The Agricole flavour isn’t for me either (like Derek) - I’m a fan of Kevin’s ultimate blend but can’t get denizen merchants reserve in the U.K.
I got one! ❤
really like the video and i'm with Derek on that one sentence "when I want a Mai Tai I want..." Some people try for historical accuracy others just for the pure enjoyment of their prefered rum blend maitai. I'm in the vein of I want bolder flavours etc... but also will never not try something different, just may not be my go to.
We just shot this a few days ago but it has reset some of my thinking about what type of Mai Tai I want. Will that remain overtime? I don't know.
Legendary Indeed !
Nice video!
Terrific video Derek! BIG thanks to Kevin for gifting, not only you, but all of us with that sample! A couple of questions though. . . What made you choose the Latitude 29 orgeat instead of your homemade? Also how does the Appleton 17 Mai Tai compare to one made with Merchant's Reserve, a rum that's much more readily available?
I'll have a BTS video on this that I'll share in the description later today, but it happened very naturally. I think we were of the same mind to make a traditional and somehwhat basic Mai Tai. Not something tinkered with or using flavors that might impact the drink too much. I also wanted Kevin to get a similar experience to what he had already had, so he could compare them.
Kevin initially wanted the L29 Orgeat and I did as well, It's a baseline that others have access to and the taste is repeatable, where my recipe might not turn out the same as if someone else made it. We both wanted PF Orange Curacao, which someone might think I would be against but it's the industry standard and does not impart a huge amount of flavor which is what we wanted
Appleton called for 1/2 oz of lime where most modern recipes are 3/4 - 1 oz. So we went with 3/4 as not to overpower.
Fun and interesting video. With my income I would never spend $500 on a bottle of rum. I get satisfaction by searching out budget rums and playing with the different combinations. I paid $35 for a bottle of Denizen Merchant’s Reserve and it makes a kick in’ Mai Tai. I’m currently playing with Coruba Dark and the jury is out on what is the best rum partner for it .
I love a Myers mai tai
great show!! my first real mai tai was so different than what i was making as a new tiki drink mixer, that i asked what rum they were using. i was told vics recipe of 1oz lt rum and 1oz dark. while ive changed the mix around over the years i still come back to a oz. of appleton 12yr and 1oz of lemonheart 1804. i also switched vic's rock candy to simple syrup to cut the sweetness a tad.
Thanks for doing this!
I would love an extended version where you let us know as much as possible to know where to aim to make a clone.
There's some links in the episode description for BTS stuff. I would need way more time and way more of the 17 legend to even attempt some type of clone version.
Great video, really interesting, it was great of you to invite Kevin. Personally I don't see the point of trying to recreate the original one - we'll never be able to do it - and we have so much more products/techniques available nowadays that we can, in my opinion, create better ones that can be accessible to anyone.
I agree. I can understand the fun behind making a blend and the thrill of the chase, but it's not possible to re-create the original and it's more than likely that the best rum for a Mai Tai is not the original. Go with whatever you like the best!
Dude you did great, Ignore the weird issues with the lime. I'm totally confused you nailed this drink.
One of the factors Kevin and I discussed that didn't make the video was dilution. The drinks I make are colder and less diluted than what you'd get at almost any bar because my ice is colder. That does play a significant factor if you are comparing to something served at a bar. We both found the Mai Tai to be better as it was diluted more.
I think another light source on the left (your right) for your a roll might be helpful :)
I’ve made great Mai Tais with Appleton 15. Not quite 17 but, really good 😊
You’re chasing a ghost..
They should have just kept going making it, so they could have a release every year starting in 2023.
Probably would have been easier said than done. If you do the math on the sales, mark up, marketing, events, etc... this was not a big money maker for Appleton or Campari. They say this was very difficult to make, and I'm guessing something like this could have a big impact on the rest of the lineup if it ends up taking away more time and resources and ultimately not be worth it.
This is from the late Greg Easter... the best chef in the world:
17 Year Wray & Nephew Rum ‘deconstructed’:
40ml J.M Rhum, Martinique XO
40ml Smith & Cross Rum
15ml White Rum, Plantation 3-Star
10ml Plantation OFTD Rum (69%)
5ml Trois Riveres Martinique Agricole Blanc Rhum
5ml Grand Marnier
5ml Vic’s Rum Nastoyka
Nice little video. It's definently fun to experiment, especially when you get a rare bottle like that, but at the same time the search for the holy grail stuff people are so preoccupied by is a bit silly. Just let it go is my thoughs about it. Wouldn't it be ironic iff you had that time machine and could go back and taste that original Mai-Tai and it turned out to be nothing special?
Respectfully to Greg, his blend was nothing like the Legendary 17. I was unable to taste the 17 in a Mai Tai but did get a taste neat. I found it to be very very good but my palate is not as refined as maybe it needed to be to go OMG that is amazing. What is totally up for discussion is how do we come as close as possible to replicating it? I can see where Jeff was coming from with his Appleton 12/Clement VSOP blend, but is there something that gets us closer? It would have been interesting to see what the Appleton 21 Mai Tai would have tasted like next to the 17 (though the 21 is now hard to find). Maybe the $300 Mai Tai blend that Rumdood posted many years ago would get us close, Appleton 21/Clement XO??
I find the Appleton 21 to be very different from most Appleton expressions and not at all comparable to Legend. It didn't make the cut in the video but it was interesting to taste these two rums side by side considering they were supposed to be replicating the original - but as you noted they are pretty different.
I try not to have hard/firm/definitive takes, but if a blend has an Agricole of any kind then it's probably not going to be like the original and definitely not going to be like the 17 Year Old Legend.
Meh ... I'm content with Denizen 8. Imho, the exact amount of everything makes for the best Mai Tai. Good luck with pouring each.
Kewl
You forgot to add the rock candy syrup
Depends on the recipe you follow. We skewed toward the Appleton recipe and any additional syrup is only adding sweetness which it didn’t need.
Came her to say the same thing. It's impossible to replicate the original drink in the first place but by omitting one of the ingredients that was specified in the original recipe then you're already making it wrong.
@@chunkymurps absolutely not. What is rock candy syrup? I’d like to hear the exact ratio of sugar to water and then your source.
How sweet was the Orgeat? Was it a 2:1 or 1:1 in 1944?
I didn’t use DeKuyper Orange Curaçao, but no one is complaining about that. Seems like a bigger ommission.
And then what is the actual Mai Tai recipe? Trader Vic shared a recipe in print in 1972 and then in 1973 he shared a recipe with different ratios, also in print. Which one do we choose?
Rock candy is sugar syrup. Orgeat is sugar syrup with almond. The only argument that can be made in the recipe we used would be that the almond syrup was too strong and not accurate, but that’s not the case. Some official recipes called for 1/4 oz and other 1/2 oz. By using 1/2 oz plus 1/4 oz rock candy we would have actually ruined this drink by making it too sweet.
Am I the only one who found Kevin a bit.... Rude...? Ok dude, you agreed to use 3/4 oz. lime, if you had such an issue with the lime you should've said that prior to using the 50$ Rum. Lime's acidity is not standard, nor you can control it. It is what it is. If your palate is that refined, you can always taste the Rum. Especially a "legend" one. Jeez. He must've said it like 15 times. Not nice.
I love love love a Mai Tai, but I honestly have zero interest in this bottle, or the general pursuit of "original". It's basically a unicorn for the Legend that it might as well not exist to me.
It was a really great Mai Tai but was
It 10x better than an Appleton 12 Mai Tai? No.
A 17 yr old Appletons in a Mai Tai are you all barking mad what a bloody waste of good rum . 😢
Ummm are you not aware of why this rum was made?
Of cause I am aware , it’s just way too good a rum for a cocktail in my opinion,
I guess it’s all about how pretentious your clientele is . Chairman’s Reserve legacy makes a cracking Mai Tai and it costs £45 a Bottle.
Personally I wouldn’t make a Whisky cocktail out of Macallan 15 double cask it’s a waste of bloody good scotch, that was myself trying to get my point across in my first comment.
@johnnyheidi2839 that’s valid, but the whole conversation around neat vs in a cocktail is subjective. I don’t get stuck up on the idea that anything that’s more than $50 must be consumed neat. It’s all about drinking it, so if it tastes better and more enjoyable in a cocktail the costs isn’t important to me.