Allow us to be the first to wish you a Happy International Mai Tai Day, August 30th. This, of course, is different than National Mai Tai Day, which is June 30th. Why are there two Mai Tai Days? Well, one might ask: Why wouldn’t there be two days for such an iconic cocktail, which tiki expert Jeff “Beachbum” Berry has called “the Cosmopolitan of its day.”
But one might also say that, given the Mai Tai’s disputed origin, its often misrepresented ingredients, and its slippery evolution as a cocktail…it just makes sense that there are two competing Mai Tai Days.
According to Berry, the two tiki legends, “Don The Beachcomber” Beach or Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron, both created drinks called the Mai Tai. Don The Beachcomber invented a Mai Tai Swizzle in 1933. Trader Vic developed his Mai Tai recipe in August 1944.
It’s Trader Vic’s Mai Tai that is honored on August 30th — by official proclamation from the city council of Oakland, California, home of the original Trader Vic’s. That proclamation claims that the Mai Tai “conjures universally positive images of retro-relaxation, portable Polynesia, a liberal lifestyle, multicultural mixology, exotic diversity, delicious creativity, and the friendly spirit of Aloha.” Of course, you don’t have to be a positive, multicultural liberal to like the Mai Tai. Richard Nixon famously loved Mai Tai’s.
Yes, the Mai Tai is many things to many people: simple yet complex; exotic yet familiar; easy yet tricky; classic yet open to new ideas. The basic formulation is so straightforward: one ounce each of English-style rum and Martinique rhum agricole, a half ounce each of orange curacao and orgeat syrup; an ounce of lime juice and a little bit of sugar syrup. That classic formulation leaves plenty of room for innovative personal touches. All of which makes the Mai Tai a perfect vehicle for modern cocktail experimentation.
That’s why Chairman’s Reserve is currently seeking submissions for its global Mai Tai Challenge. “Chairman’s Reserve embraces the adoption of the Mai Tai as a cocktail that really shows the brilliance of rum,” says Benjamin Jones, Managing Director of SPIRIBAM North America. “With more styles and brands of rum readily in distribution, the Mai Tai is a cocktail which invites those who are curious to experiment and create blends that highlight the signature ingredients that define a true Mai Tai.”
Register for the Chairman’s Reserve Mai Tai Challenge at www.chairmansreserverum.com/mai-tai/
Judges will be looking for the best talent, the best use of Chairman’s Reserve in the drink’s craftsmanship, and a personal touch from the drink’s maker. A winning cocktail should have the potential to be considered a Mai Tai of iconic tropical cocktail status.
The regionals for the next global edition are taking place in 2018 in 10 countries around the world: The United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland. The 2018 North American regional competitions will be held in in Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
To enter, contestants must create a Mai Tai recipe using at least one Chairman’s Reserve rum as the primary ingredient. Chairman’s Reserve strongly encourages creativity and originality in all submissions. The judging panels will feature notable cocktail personalities from each city; and the North American judging panels will be led by tiki legend and rum expert Jeff “Beachbum” Berry.
Dates for recipe submission deadlines and regional competitions in North America are as follows:
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Deadline for submissions, September 24th
Finalists announced October 1st
Regional Competition, October 30th
Toronto, Canada
Deadline for submissions, October 8th
Finalists announced October 15th
Regional Competition November 12th
Los Angeles, CA
Deadline for submissions, November 5th
Finalists announced November 12th
Regional Competition, December 10th
The winner of each regional competition will be flown to Saint Lucia, in March of 2019, to represent their city in the global final of the Chairman’s Reserve Mai Tai Challenge.
For more details, go to www.chairmansreserverum.com/mai-tai/
