During the summer heat, alcohol partially loses its relevance. After all, it fogs the mind, and provokes sweating. With light cocktails, the situation is different, because the concentration of alcohol is relatively low. You can experiment with recipes. If you want a truly delicious and refreshing taste, then try "May Tai" - a cocktail with a bright summer mood!
On taste and color
The holiday atmosphere reigns on the seashore, and from time to time it is tempting to freshen up. But strong alcohol is out of place here, because it will cloud your head. But a cocktail or two will not hurt. On a hot summer evening, "May Tai" is relevant - a cocktail that, by popularity, stands next to "Daiquiri" and "Mojito". By the way, he is also on the cocktail list of the International Barmen Community. The world learned about this drink and immediately fell in love with it in the twentieth century. Over the years, the recipe has undergone many changes. Today's version of it is the result of numerous experiments. The presence of rum in the list of ingredients remained unchanged, but the taste changes depending on the brand of alcohol and on the quality of other components. But the first attempts to create a cocktail were made back in the 16th century. It is obvious that even then people loved not only to relax, but to do it with taste.
Holiday in one glass
"May Tai" - a cocktail is very distinctive and unusual. Each bartender brings his own twist to the recipe, but no one can get around the original version. There are several life hacks for those who are preparing this drink. Firstly, all ingredients must be pre-cooled so that the taste is brighter and more expressive. Secondly, do not look for analogues to the main ingredient, that is, rum. It is he who is responsible for the brownish color of the classic drink. Well, and thirdly, we must not forget about the design. The cocktail can be supplemented with fruit slices or flower petals.
Guide to action
How to cook "May Tai"? The cocktail recipe has a complicated composition, and the list of ingredients is impressive. In the classic version you will need: about 40-50 ml of white rum and 15-20 ml of black, 15 ml of sugar syrup and the same amount of liqueur with natural orange juice, 20 ml of lime juice, 10 ml of almond syrup, a mint sprig, several pieces of pineapple, 5 grams of red cocktail cherries, 150 grams of crushed ice and 200 grams of whole ice cubes. And, of course, a number of special devices for making a cocktail are required. In particular, one rox, shaker, strainer, jigger, citrus press and two tubes.
If everything is ready, then you can prepare a cocktail "May Tai". The composition, frankly, is expensive, but for a bar or a nightclub, all the ingredients are familiar. So, first the bartender pours crushed ice into a tall glass. By the way, they need to fill the tank to the very top. Pour lime juice, sugar and almond syrup into the shaker. Then pour orange liquor, white and black rum. Now the shaker must be filled with ice cubes and mix everything. Through the strainer, the contents of the shaker are poured into the rox. If necessary, ice is poured. The top should be decorated with cherry berries and pineapple slices. The highlight is a sprig of mint. Now the tubes are inserted. Ready Mai Tai cocktail. Its composition is good in itself, but there is another kind of classic cocktail. In it, almond syrup is replaced with orange. After mixing, the syrup combines with orange liquor, which adds an interesting sourness to the drink. Many bartenders believe that this option is more appropriate for exotic countries.
For the sweetest life
"May Tai" is a tart and fragrant cocktail due to the presence of almond notes, but the version with sugar syrup or grenadine has the right to life. At the same time, the ratio of light and dark rum changes - they are added in equal proportions. You can experiment and exclude dark rum from the composition, but the taste will change significantly. True, and hop will be less. Without almonds, the drink will lose its specific flavor, and replacing dark rum with analogues will affect the astringency and richness of the taste. Adding grenadine pomegranate syrup interrupts the orange notes of Curacao liquor and violates the classic color. So variations are possible and permissible, but the result may change unpredictably.
If you don’t feel like losing your head in the bar, you can try the lightweight version of “Mai Tai”. The cocktail will remain sweet and fragrant, but the fortress will become much smaller. Will be needed for preparation: 30 ml of light and dark Rum “Bacardi”, 100 ml of orange and pineapple juice, 70 ml of coconut milk, pineapple slice and ice. The cooking algorithm is much like the classic version. The glass should be filled with ice three quarters of the volume and pour the whole rum. Now all the juice is added. By the way, orange can be replaced with tangerine. So the drink will be even brighter in color. At the end, sweet coconut milk is added and all the ingredients are mixed. A glass can be decorated with pineapple and mint leaves. This is an easy and enjoyable option on hot summer days.
In the home
Not everyone can afford to spend evenings at the club, but if you like the Mai Tai cocktail, the classic recipe can be made at home. This, by the way, is not difficult at all. True, provided that all the ingredients are at home. But you can replace the most expensive ingredients with more affordable ones. So, the original recipe uses 17-year-old black rum from Jamaica in a barrel of burnt oak wood, but the same “Bacardi Black” will do. Rum adds notes of spice, chocolate and caramel to the cocktail. Light rum gives the drink honey, fruit and nutty shades. Also suitable is Bacardi. By the way, it is easy to drink in its pure form, and when mixed it has a pleasant aftertaste. Orange liqueur "Orange Curacao" in the original can be replaced without prejudice to taste with more budget counterparts. The main thing is that the liquor has a pleasant aroma of fruits and spices.
Almond milk can be replaced with non-alcoholic almond syrup. The main thing is the creamy marzipan taste of the product. You can, by the way, get along with sugar syrup or Grenadine. Lime juice is now quite affordable, but you can replace it with lemon or orange. Of great importance is the mixing technology at Mai Tai. The cocktail recipe is variable, but you do not need to mix the drink in the serving glass. When serving, the cocktail should be very cold, so that the glasses can be cooled in advance. You can add chopped lime peel to the shaker to make the cocktail softer and find notes of citrus. Have a nice tasting!