The Mai Tai was created in the mid-1940s and is most commonly credited to Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron (with a rival claim from Donn Beach). The original Mai Tai celebrated aged rum’s character, combining it with fresh lime, orange liqueur, and orgeat to create a vivid, island-inspired cocktail. Its name — from “maita’i,” meaning “good” or “excellent” in Tahitian — and its theatrical presentation helped make it a centerpiece of mid‑century tiki culture and a lasting symbol of tropical escapism. Over decades the Mai Tai has inspired countless variations, but the core balance of rum, citrus, orange, and almond remains essential.

Bright, fresh lime and orange-citrus from the Triplum deliver an immediate zing up front, while the Liquid Alchemist orgeat adds sweet, nutty, floral almond notes that round and temper the citrus; Denizen Merchant’s Reserve anchors the base with rich molasses, toasted sugar, and warm spice, making the overall profile crisp and slightly nutty and citrusy up front, then warm and rum-driven on the finish—refreshing, layered, and not cloying.

Ingredients:

2 oz Denizen Merchant’s Reserve
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz Luxardo Triplum
¼ oz Simple Syrup 
¼ oz Orgeat Syrup

Directions

Combine in a shaker, add 2 cups crushed ice, shake 10 seconds. Pour unstrained into double rocks glass. Garnish with maraschino cherries.