Ingredients
Ingredient amounts are adjusted. Steps, cooking times, equipment, and the Shopping List use the original recipe for 2 servings.
Check off ingredients as you prep.
- 1 lime, divided into 1 1/2 oz fresh juice plus wedges for moistening the glasses
- 2 tsp Salted Perfection CHILI LIME, for an optional rim upgrade, or 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt mixed with 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 oz aged Jamaican rum
- 2 oz aged rhum agricole or a second aged rum
- 1 oz orange curaçao
- 3/4 oz orgeat syrup
- 1/2 oz rich simple syrup
- 3 cups crushed ice, plus more as needed
- 2 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Step by step
- Spread the CHILI LIME—or the measured kosher salt and chili powder alternative—on a small plate. Run a lime wedge around half the rim of each rocks glass, then press the moistened side gently into the seasoning. A half-rim lets each guest choose between bright, salty heat and the untouched drink.
- Pour the Jamaican rum, rhum agricole, orange curaçao, lime juice, orgeat, and rich simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Add about 1 1/2 cups crushed ice.
- Shake hard for 10–12 seconds, until the shaker turns frosty and the drink smells like lime peel, almond, and good rum—the sort of perfume that used to drift across the bar before dinner started.
- Divide the entire contents of the shaker between the prepared glasses. Heap the remaining crushed ice on top, tucking in more if needed so each glass has a generous crown.
- Slap each mint sprig once between your palms to release its aroma, then nestle it beside the ice. Serve immediately while the mint is fragrant and the rim is still crisp. DUNZO!
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A little more about this recipe
Timing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield & storage
Original yield
Storage
Best mixed and served immediately. Fresh lime juice may be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 24 hours, but do not store the assembled cocktails because melting ice will over-dilute them.
From Tony’s kitchen
This is the kind of Mai Tai that belongs beside an open window at sunset—not the syrupy fruit punch from a hotel lobby, but the rum-forward classic with lime, orange, and almond folded together over a mountain of crushed ice. One sip feels like an old postcard from Oakland with a little tropical mischief around the edges.
Nutrition • per serving
Ingredient notes
Ingredients & allergen check
Major-allergen signals: None recognized automatically.
- Lime
- Salted Perfection CHILI LIME, for an optional rim upgrade, or kosher salt mixed with chili powder
- aged Jamaican rum
- aged rhum agricole or a second aged rum
- orange curaçao
- orgeat syrup
- rich simple syrup
- ice, plus more as needed
- fresh mint sprigs
Chili Lime blend: Sea salt, Lime, Chili powder
Check every package label. Brands, substitutions, shared equipment, and cross-contact can change allergen exposure.
