Here is a festive cocktail recipe to brighten up your day, a delicious Mai Tai!
When we were visiting the Hawaiian Islands, we of course indulged in one too many Mai Tai’s. Our favorite spot in Hanalei was Tahiti Nui, known for their Mai Tai’s, and enjoying happy hour snacks and drinks.
A Mai Tai is one of the most popular Tiki drinks in the world. The drink is mainly made with rum(s), orange liqueur, and orgeat (an almond syrup) and there are variations with lime juice and/or pineapple juice. Clayton’s cousin, Ian, is a great mixologist and when we recently visited him in New Mexico– he offered to make us a Mai Tai cocktail and we were so excited. His recipe is smooth, delicious, and a great recipe to make any time of year.
Clayton’s Margarita has a cocktail cousin in town, and its name is Ian’s Mai Tai! Thank you to Ian for sharing your recipe with us! Cheers and enjoy!
Ian’s Mai Tai

Ingredients
- 2 ounces aged rum *I like Pusser's
- 2 ounces white rum *I like Cruzan Aged Light
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 2 ounces fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ ounces orgeat *I like Giffard or Small Hands
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake until very cold. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge and/or pineapple wedge with a pineapple leaf, if desired. (mint is also popular).
6 Comments
Abby
May 12, 2022 at 3:35 amI’m having a pool party this weekend and was wondering if you have batched this and made more of a punch. Any advice?
Virginia evans
April 3, 2022 at 2:57 pmPlease tell me where you got these glasses!!!
Alex
April 3, 2022 at 11:30 pmThey are from Anthropologie but seem to no longer be available 🙁
Steven Waters
October 3, 2021 at 11:22 pmFANTASTIC!!! Great flavor! Highly recommend!
Erica
September 21, 2021 at 11:30 pmThis was amazing! Somehow I have literally never had a mai tai, but I am a converted fan. I used the Liber & Co orgeat syrup (not sure your preferred brand) and it was awesome! Great job!
zaynab
September 20, 2021 at 2:06 pmI enjoyed this recipe – had never tried orgeat before (to my knowledge)! I also made a fusion of the mai tai/tito’s colada recipe – basically followed the mai tai recipe, but skipped the lime juice and blended it with frozen pineapple and a little bit of coconut milk. Perfect for the last 90 degree day in Minnesota this year 🙂 HIGHLY RECOMMEND!