If you’ve been hanging out with me recently, you know that I have a small tiki obsession.

I love the tropical vibe of a tiki drink on a dreary day. I love the unusual recipes and ingredients. and I love the bars the tiki world creates (Try Hale Pele in Portland and Tacoma Cabana in Tacoma, WA).

I’ve been slowly building my collection of the unusual stuff you need to make tiki drinks – falernum, orgeat (almond syrup!) and more. Grenadine is probably the most familiar thing in the tiki lineup and it’s not even that common. (By the way, you can buy most tiki ingredients through Portland-based BG Reynolds – I love their products and they aren’t paying me to say so!)

Don’t let them scare you off- especially with this recipe for a Mai Tai. It’s probably the easiest tiki drink to make, and a great place to start. And you know… you can make it a few times For practice!

Classic Mai Tai

Ingredients

• 1 cup crushed ice
• (you can use your blender or food processor)
• 2 oz. aged rum
• (I used Frank’s High Proof Rum by McMenamins)
• 3/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice + the lime’s shell
• 1/2 oz. orange liqueur (such as triple sec or Grand Marnier)
• 1/4 oz. simple syrup
• 1/2 oz. orgeat
• (recommended: BG Reynolds)
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• mint sprig for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
2. Shake rum, lime juice, lime shell, liqueur, syrup and orgeat until cold.
3. Strain into a glass and garnish with mint.