The Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe: Bring Waikiki's Iconic Hawaiian Drink Home

The original mai tai cocktail was created by Trader Vic (Victor Bergeron) in 1944. His version used aged rum, lime juice, orange curacao, orgeat syrup, and rock candy syrup. No pineapple juice, no orange juice.

When the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Moana Surfrider hotels brought the drink to Hawaii in 1953, bartenders adapted it. They added pineapple juice and orange juice to create a sweeter, more tropical drink that suited the Hawaiian beach setting. The result was the Hawaiian mai tai we know today.

Both are delicious. The original is drier and more spirit-forward. The Royal Hawaiian version is sweeter, fruitier, and more refreshing on a hot day in Waikiki.

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is fairly secretive about their exact recipe. What we know is that they use a combination of light and dark rum, with the dark rum as a float.

For home use, I recommend Bacardi Superior or Flor de Cana Extra Dry as the light rum base. For the dark rum float, Myer's Original Dark Rum is the most commonly recommended option by mai tai enthusiasts and matches the flavor profile well.

Orgeat (pronounced "or-zhat") is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and orange flower water. It has a distinctive nutty, floral flavor that is central to any authentic mai tai recipe.

You can find orgeat at most liquor stores, specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods, or online. Popular brands include BG Reynolds, Monin, Torani, and Small Hand Foods. BG Reynolds is my personal favorite for home use.

If you cannot find orgeat, you can substitute falernum (which adds a slight spice note) or even a small amount of almond extract mixed with simple syrup as a last resort.

The rum float works because of density differences between liquids. The cocktail mix below is denser than straight dark rum because of all the sugar from the juice, orgeat, and curacao.

If your rum is sinking, the most common reasons are: pouring too fast, not using a bar spoon to break the fall, or your cocktail mix is not cold enough (warm liquids have different density than cold ones).

Try this: hold the bar spoon just a few millimeters above the drink surface, curved side up, and pour the dark rum in a slow, thin stream over the back of the spoon. Patience is the key. It really does work once you get the technique right.

Yes, absolutely! You can mix everything except the dark rum and ice up to 4 hours ahead of time. Keep it refrigerated in a sealed pitcher or bottle.

When you are ready to serve, pour over fresh ice in individual glasses and do the dark rum float on each one right before handing them out. This way each drink looks perfect with that beautiful layered presentation.

Do not add ice to the batch mix itself. It will dilute as it sits. Always pour over fresh ice per glass.

This is one of the great debates in tiki drink history! Donn Beach (Don the Beachcomber) was a pioneering figure in the tiki bar movement and invented many tropical drinks. However, he never specifically claimed to have invented the mai tai cocktail.

Trader Vic (Victor Bergeron) is the one who named and popularized what we call the mai tai. He created it in 1944 at his restaurant in Oakland, California. The name "Mai Tai" comes from the Tahitian phrase "Mai Tai Roa Ae" meaning "Out of this world, the best."

For what it is worth, Trader Vic's own version is the one that became the foundation for the Royal Hawaiian mai tai recipe. So when you are sipping a Hawaiian mai tai on Waikiki Beach, you are drinking a direct descendant of Trader Vic's 1944 creation.

The classic choice is a tall tiki mug or a Collins glass (12-16 oz). The height gives space for ice and the layered rum float effect.

At the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider hotels, drinks are often served in a large, frosted glass that shows off the layers. A hurricane glass is also a great option and looks very festive at parties.

Whatever glass you use, make sure it is big enough. A Royal Hawaiian mai tai is a generous cocktail and deserves room to breathe.