Virgin Mai Tai Mocktail Recipe
Orgeat, lime and orange curaçao's flavours without the rum — the almond is what people actually remember.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Orgeat syrup25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Fresh lime juice30 ml (1 oz)
- Pineapple juice60 ml (2 oz)
- Fresh orange juice30 ml (1 oz)
How to Make It
- Shake all ingredients with ice.
- Pour unstrained into a rocks glass.
- Top with crushed ice.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and a spent lime shell.
Garnish
Mint sprig and a lime shell
What it tastes like
It smells of lemon and lime peel and there is pineapple and passion fruit in it.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Orgeat syrup
- Almond syrup with orange flower water in it — the signature of a Mai Tai. Without it, sweetened almond milk plus a drop of almond extract gets you close.
- Fresh lime juice
- Freshly squeezed lime. Bottled lime tastes cooked and flat; one lime gives about 30 ml. If you have none, half lemon and half grapefruit juice comes closest.
- Pineapple juice
- Pineapple juice. It foams on its own when shaken — that creamy head on a tiki drink comes from the pineapple, not from egg white.
- Fresh orange juice
- Fresh orange juice. Carton juice is sugar-adjusted, so it sweetens the drink and drops its acidity; when you squeeze your own, pull back a little on the syrup.
The Story
Trader Vic's original leaned on orgeat and lime as much as on rum, which is why it survives the rum being taken out.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Virgin Mai Tai mixed?
- It is shaken and served in an old fashioned glass.
- Does a Virgin Mai Tai contain alcohol?
- No. It is safe to serve to children, to anyone pregnant, and to whoever is driving.
- Is a Virgin Mai Tai hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.