Will the Real Mai Tai please Stand up!

The Mai Tai has a Polynesian name but was invented by Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic) in Emeryville, California in 1944.  According to documented accounts Vic was manning the bar at his restaurant (Hinky Dink's when two of his Tahitian friends asked him to make them something unusual. Vic did so and after tasting the drink they raised their glasses shouted "Mai tai Roa ae" which loosely translated, means the best damn thing we've ever drunk.

The cocktail has some complex flavors that are both sweet and sharp, I've tried the recipe and have made it for friends and they love it. Unfortunately over the years like a lot of cocktails, lazy bartenders have used shortcuts to make the drink and it has been degraded to nothing more than spiked fruit punch. If your serious about quality bartending using ingredients that were intended for this cocktail use the following recipe and let me know how it comes out.

Cheers,

John Apodaca

john@daddyosmartinis.com

Mai Tai


1 oz light Rum
1 oz dark Rum
Juice of one lime
1/2 oz orange Curacao
1 1/2 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 tsp orgeat (almond syrup)
Lime peel
Mint sprig

Place rums, curacao and syrups in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Shake and strain into a chilled old fashioned glass with ice and garnish with lime and mint. Serve with a straw.

The Manhattan

The Manhattan complements the name it shares with the island. This cocktail was invented at New Yorks's Manhattan Club at the end of the nineteenth century and is a drink mad with whiskey rather than clear spirits. Two stories of it's origin are as follows:

Jenny Jerome Churchill threw a party at th club to celebrate Samuel Tilden's successful run for governor in 1874 another is that years later it was made for a Supreme Court Justice name Traux. Two problems with the stories is that Jenny was in England giving birth to her son Sir Winston Churchill and there has never been a Supreme Court Justice named Traux.

No matter which story is true, one thing is it's a tasty cocktail when using top shelf spirits such as Michters bourbon with Carpano Antica vermouth and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters and garnish with a Marasche Cherry from Italy. You can buy most of these ingredients in Hi-Times Cellar in Costa Mesa if you're in Southern CA or check on line where you purchase these.

The Manhattan


1 1/2 oz of Bourbon such as Michters or Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz sweet vermouth Carpano Antica

Shake ingredients very hard and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a Marasche cherry.

Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet

This is John Apodaca from Daddy-O's Martinis. If you haven't had the opportunity to make the trek to Downtown Los Angeles and eat at one of the oldest and thriving restaurant / bars, I encourage you to do so. Cole's P.E. (Pacific Electric) Buffet was opened in 1908 at the bottom level of the Pacific Electric train building where the red cars were stored. I recently watched two documentaries on the demise of the street cars by corporate giant GM and it's so sad that they killed the best public transportation system Los Angeles ever had. In one of the shows it mentions P.E. Cole's that was famous for it's French Roast dipped sandwiches and bar that has been there all this time and survived all the changes in L.A. even it's own renovation two years ago. 

Not only do they have a great selection of sandwiches and pies with fresh ingredients but also the famous Red Car Bar which serves up vintage style drinks such as the Old Fashioned, Pisco Sour, Whiskey sour and their own creations what else but the Red car and Ginger Rodgers. I've never been disappointed with the food, drinks, or service and highly recommend it for all to experience. Something else I need to mention is that Cole's is also home to one of my favorite vintage style bars the Varnish which unless you know it's there you could almost miss it and you don't want to do that. By sure to check them out, I hope to see you there. 

Cheers, 

John Apodaca

P.S. If you're interested in watching the documentary on the demise of street cars in Los Angeles click on the link. http://www.documentary-film.net/search/watch.php?&ref=158