About
This is an original I made for an annual Pride party I bartend, taking the flavors of a Mai Tai and turning them into a clarified, batched serve. I kept plenty of Jamaican rum in the mix, along with orange liqueur and orgeat, but used Sūpāsawā for the acidity and a little vanilla syrup to round everything out. Clarifying it with milk completely changes the look and texture while still leaving those familiar rum, citrus, almond, and orange notes behind. I originally played around with an air for the garnish, but ended up switching to a vanilla-passionfruit foam, which was definitely the right move. It brings some of the tropical flavor back to the surface and gives an otherwise crystal-clear drink a pretty fun finish.Cheers y’all!
Ingredients
- 4 oz · 120 mloverproof Jamaican rum (Smith and Cross)
- 4 oz · 120 mlJamaican rum (Coruba)
- 2 oz · 60 mlorange liqueur (Rhum J.M. Shrubb Liqueur d’Orange)
- 2 oz · 60 mlorgeat
- 4 oz · 120 mlSūpāsawā
- 1 oz · 30 mlvanilla syrup
- 6 oz · 180 mlwhole milk, for clarification
- vanilla-passionfruit foam, to garnish
- SERVES 4–5
Method
- 1
Combine all ingredients except milk in a container.
- 2
Slowly pour the mixture into the milk.
- 3
Allow to curdle and rest until separated.
- 4
Strain through a coffee filter until clear.
- 5
Serve over large-format ice.
- 6
Top with vanilla-passionfruit foam.
VANILLA-PASSIONFRUIT FOAM
- 4 oz · 120 ml. water
- 4 oz · 120 ml. passionfruit syrup
- 1½ oz · 45 ml. vanilla syrup
- ½ oz · 15 ml. Sūpāsawā or fresh lime juice
- 1.8 g. methyl cellulose
- 0.5 g. xanthan gum
- 1
Combine all ingredients in a blender.
- 2
Blend on high for 10 seconds.
- 3
Transfer to a cream whipper.
- 4
Charge with one N₂O cartridge and shake vigorously.
- 5
Charge with a second N₂O cartridge.
- 6
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
- 7
Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
anatomyofadrink.com/cocktails/clarified-mai-tai