Hey guys,
So this whole show is all about the Mai Tai because on June 30th, it's national Mai Tai day!! On another note, June 27th is national pineapple day (Paola's favorite)!
So who made this drink that set tiki into a nation wide craze? Well, there are several facts and stories to this delicious drink that we will tackle today.
We have Don the Beachcomber (the pioneer of tiki in North America) who claimed it and that he created this drink back in 1933. He did at times have this drink plus a Mai Tai Swizzle on his menus. Also, the QB Cooler which some say was the original Mai Tai but not let's get ahead of ourselves here.
Next, Trader Vic claimed him and one of his bartenders created this drink and served it to some Tahitian friends who were visiting his bar and they called it “Mai tai-roa aé" which means "the best" or "very good".
Don claims that Trader Vic stole the drink and renamed it Mai Tai. But we find that Don didn't have this drink on any menus til way later after Trader had it on his. Also, Don claims that it was published in a magazine showing his 1941 menu with the Mai Tai BUT it also showed a Fogcutter which is a Trader Vic drink and also all of Don's menus from 1941 to 1970 all had the 41 copyright on them. so who is to say!
Both sides have their arguments and we will give you all the facts and you can decide or listen and see what we think of this whole controversial debate.
We give your three recipes that are tied to this whole theory: Mai Tai (Trader Vic's 44 recipe which he published later in 1972 in his bartender's guide; QB Cooler (don's recipe which he claims that Trader stole and changed the name to Mai Tai); and Mai Tai Swizzle (Don's recipe from the 40s that people thought Trader might have tried to duplicate and came up with the Mai Tai instead).
You be the judge and try all three out and see which one you like the best and which two are similar in taste!!!
Mark our tiki expert helps explain all the theories and his view on the matter as well.
Recipes are on our recipe page to check out (including Falernum on episode #17): https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes/
Also for the book that covers all the recipes and their stories, check out Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's Remixed or Smuggler's Cove by Martin and Rebecca Cate at our cool link page: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/cool-links/
On "Did you know?" segment: we cover some world wide Mai Tai celebrations or versions of this drink. First, we talk about Hawaiian Airlines (who collaborated with On the Rocks Premium Cocktails Corp. to create their own version for their airlines that is very unique. It starts of with a crazy blend of rums from around the world, toasted coconut, and sugar cane sugar instead of processed. Next, St Lucia in the Caribbean holds an annual Chairman's Reserve Mai Tai Competition where bartenders from around the world compete to make their own best Mai Tai. There you will see crazy glassware, garnish, recipes and presentations of Mai Tais.
Video link to the Trader Vic's Mai Tai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsBZQuNaxNI&t=48s
So check out our next episode, where we celebrate the Canada Day and 4th of July (Independence Day) with some cool refreshing drinks and some trivia of who invented what? Check it out!!
Don't forget our hashtag comp goes til July 1st....
Also, sign up for our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter that cover cool recipes, Mark's adventures tiki bars, a book review, and other cool stuff: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/subscribe/
