Bitter Mai Tai

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Cocktail History

The Bitter Mai Tai is a modern cocktail that was created by Jeremy Oertel while at Dram in New York City, New York. The recipe is essentially just as it sounds: a Mai Tai variation that calls for the classic's mix of rum, citrus, and orgeat. What makes it unique, however, is its addition of Campari, a bitter red Italian liqueur that also serves as the inspiration for the drink's name.

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Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Campari: This is a liqueur made in Italy with gentian root, rhubarb, citrus, herbs, aromatic plants, fruit, and alcohol.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.

Smith & Cross Rum: This is a type of rum made with molasses or sugarcane juice, spices, and alcohol that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. This recipe specifically calls for Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum.

Orgeat Syrup: This is a sweetener made with roasted almonds, orange blossom, sugar, and water. I used Liber & Co. Almond Orgeat Syrup.

Orange Curaçao: This is a liqueur made with oranges, sugar, and brandy or rum. I used Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge.

Mint Sprig: This is an herb. I used Mojito mint.

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Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

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Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Vibrant orange-red color

• Aroma: Citrus and mint with noticeable bitter orange notes

• Taste: Initial funky rum taste paired with nutty orgeat and zesty lime

• Finish: Bitter, herbal Campari alongside tropical spices

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: "I absolutely adore the original Mai Tai, and I was not sure I'd enjoy a Campari-laced version all that much. I mean, why mess with perfection? That said, the bitterness lent to the mix by the Italian liqueur is really interesting in the template. I can see Campari fans absolutely loving this variation, but I didn't personally like it better than the classic, so I'll be sticking to that one. This was really interesting though!"

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Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.