The Mai Tai – it’s a one of the most iconic rum cocktails in the world and yet one that is made in so many different ways that it’s almost impossible to define what it should actually look and taste like!

The humble writer of this blog post prefers his Mai Tai served in the 1944 Trader Vic format, although (and this is where I get confused) – we think originally a 17 year old Wray & Nephew rum was part of the formula.  The 17yo is hasn’t been made for a very long time and is now the stuff of legend and a highly valuable collectable, but just how did it taste?  What did the Mai Tai taste like with it? (And more importantly) How is my Mai Tai going to taste in comparison?

The infinitely famous Jeff “Beachbum” Berry (Tiki expert and all round top chap) researched the lost and forgotten Tiki cocktail recipes for his series of books and for the 1944 Mai Tai, Beachbum Berry presents a recipe that calls for equal measures of dark Jamaican and amber Martinique rum as part of the mix.  We’ve no idea how he arrived at this, but we have heard of a gathering that might throw some light on the subject!

This year’s RumFest will feature the Great Mai Tai Debate: industry experts will discuss their preferences on what rum to use, how they might approximate the legendary Wray & Nephew 17 year old rum and (just possibly) just what constitutes a Mai Tai fail!  This is likely to be a lively and popular debate and just another reason in the long list of why you really should get along to RumFest 2012…

Pete