Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe
This Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe combines both light and dark rum, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, both pineapple and orange juice, and some orgeat syrup. Use a cocktail shaker and shake these up to get them nice and cold. This tropical drink will make you feel like you’re on the beach!
Try my Classic Skinny Margaritas or the best Orange Aperol Spritz next!
Best Mai Tais
We fell in love with Mai Tais during our first visit to Hawaii, when we were celebrating our 50th birthdays. In particular, we loved the ones at The Beach House in Kauai, followed by Monkeypod in Maui. Both were pretty great, and and I’ve been dreaming of making my own ever since.
So here we are – enjoying a little bit of our favorite place on earth right in our backyard. Sitting poolside with our eyes closed might be the closest we get right now, but we’ll take it. Because honestly, anyplace with my man is pretty amazing!
I’ve tried lots of versions of this drink and THIS one is the closest I can get to the real thing. Trust me, you’ll love it!
Ingredients needed Hawaiian Mai Tais
- Rum – Equal parts dark and light rum.
- Orange Liqueur – Orange Contreau is my favorite, but any triple sec works too.
- Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed!
- Other Juice – I used bottled orange juice and bottled pineapple juice. When you check out at the grocery store, there are usually small single sized juices in the refrigerators. That’s what I grab for these cocktails.
- Orgeat Syrup – A premium almond-based cocktail syrup, made from real roasted almonds, pure cane sugar, and bitter almond oil. Very necessary for the best Mai Tais!
- Ice – Use lots of ice to get them nicely chilled.
How to make the Best Hawaiian Mai Tais
Step 1
Prep garnishes. Slice some fresh pineapple for garnish. I also recommend using some maraschino cherries for garnish as well.
Step 2
Measure the ingredients. In a large cocktail shaker, combine the ingredients – the light and dark rum, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, pineapple/orange juice, and orgeat syrup.
Step 3
Prep glasses. Add some ice to two glasses. Add pineapple garnishes and/or cherries.
Step 4
Serve. Add some ice to the cocktail shaker, add lid, and shake vigorously. Pour mai tai mixture into the prepared glasses. Cheers!
What to serve with Hawaiian Mai Tais:
I recommend eating some delicious appetizer/snacks while you’re sipping these mai tais. Here are a few of my favorite recipes!
- Baked Artichoke Dip
- Cowboy Caviar with Avocado
- Whipped Feta Dip with Honey
- Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Other Recommended Cocktails
- Blackberry Peach Frozen Margaritas – Delicious AND gorgeous all at the same time.
- Cranberry Vodka Slush – NOT just for Christmas time!
- Super Simple Cranberry Margaritas – The simplest, really.
- Limoncello Moscow Mules – Who doesn’t like a good mule?
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
- Citrus Press – This press comes in handy in many of my recipes.
- Cocktail Shaker – Needed to make the Mai Tais cold and dilute them slightly. You could also use a mason jar.
Don’t forget the Orgeat Syrup as well!
xoxo ~Sue
Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz. light rum
- 2.5 oz. dark rum
- 1 oz. orange liqueur – I use Cointreau
- 1.5 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1.5 oz. orange juice
- 2 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 oz. orgeat syrup
Instructions
- Prep glasses by filling halfway with ice, and place some pineapple slices on the rim (along with some marischino cherries, if desired).
- Measure out all ingredients and place in a cocktail shaker. Fill with several ice cubes, and shake vigorously to get everything nice and cold. Pour into glasses and serve.
Very good. I made enough for 8 drinks. Everyone liked it.
Love this drink recipe, it’s delicious! It is also super convenient that I can adjust the servings on your site. I just made a large batch for a punch bowl at a party and they were a huge hit! I can’t wait to check out your other recipes.
Thanks so much Juliet!
Hello. Wanting to make this soon… any recommendations on the brand rum for light and dark?
I use Bacardi for this recipe.
Delicious!!! Toasting with these for Happy Hour today as we celebrate our countdown of 99 days (finally double digits!) until we head to Hawaii. Cheers!
That sounds like a perfect reason to celebrate with these drinks! Cheers Traci!
I cannot wait to try this. My parents were raving about how good Hawwian Mai Tais are and this recipe looks fabulous!!!
Just made these again tonight! YUM!!
So glad you enjoyed them again, Cathy! 🙂
Wow! Better than the Mai Tais we got in Hawaii! My new favorite drink! Mike is right…they sneak up on ya!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Cathy!! 🙂
Can you these be made frozen?
Yes, you could freeze the juice in ice cubes and blend with some additional ice. Let me know how it turns out for you.
The best ever, but go slow as they pack a punch! ❤️
Yes they do!
So delicious I had to make two days in and will make often!! As good as any Mai Tai I have ever had and I’ve had a few or more than a few.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the Mai Tais Shari! 🙂