Bitter Mai Tai
Bitter Mai Tai is made with red bitter liqueur, Jamaican rum, curaçao, lime and rich orgeat over ice, served cold.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a rocks glass and prepare the garnish before mixing.
Add all measured ingredients to a shaker.
Add ice, seal the shaker and shake until the tin feels thoroughly cold.
Strain into the prepared rocks glass over crushed ice.
Finish with a thin lime slice. Place fresh mint at the surface for its aroma.
A thoughtful finish
- Use almond orgeat, not plain rich syrup; it is the nutty link to the Mai Tai family.
- Use rich 2:1 almond orgeat for this measure; ordinary orgeat varies by brand and is a separate variation.
- Chill the serving glass as well as the mixture so the first sip stays cold.
Common mistakes
- Replacing orgeat with simple syrup loses almond flavor even if sweetness seems similar.
- Plain rich sugar syrup adds sweetness but cannot supply the almond flavor of rich orgeat.
- A warm serving glass quickly undoes the chilling achieved during mixing.
A few good questions.
What is in a Bitter Mai Tai?
Bitter Mai Tai is made with red bitter liqueur, Jamaican rum, curaçao, lime and rich orgeat over ice.
Can I scale a Bitter Mai Tai for more servings?
Multiply every measured ingredient by the same serving count. Prepare the measured still ingredients ahead if useful, but chill, shake or stir each serving as directed; add any carbonated finish at service.
Can I use simple syrup instead of orgeat?
Simple syrup does not provide almond flavor. Replacing orgeat changes the recipe, so identify the substitution rather than calling the two syrups equivalent.
Who created the Bitter Mai Tai?
The cited source credits Jeremy Oertel in by 2011 at Dram (early documented attribution). The recipe-version note identifies any later adaptation.
Variations
- Another bottle of the base — Editorial bottle variation: use another producer of the same red aperitif bitter liqueur style at the listed measure; record the bottle rather than assuming identical sweetness or strength.
- Alternate citrus peel — Editorial presentation variation: try a different fresh citrus peel for the surface aroma while keeping the liquid formula unchanged; identify it as a garnish change.
Where it comes from
by 2011 · Brooklyn, New York City, USA · Jeremy Oertel · Dram (early documented attribution)
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
Jeremy Oertel is the consistent creator credit for the Bitter Mai Tai, but the dates and venue descriptions in current references do not agree. Difford’s Guide describes a 2019 creation at Donna in Brooklyn. An opened Kindred Cocktails record, posted in March 2011 and pointing to a contemporaneous newspaper citation, already attributes a Bitter Mai Tai to Oertel at Brooklyn’s Dram. Strong Water’s own menu also credits Oertel in Brooklyn in 2011. A drink documented in 2011 cannot first have been created in 2019. This entry therefore records the conservative date “by 2011” and preserves the early Dram attribution while explaining the discrepancy. The formula selected here remains Difford’s later measured adaptation, including its rich almond orgeat and red bitter liqueur, rather than silently claiming to reproduce the early formula exactly.
Sources
- Difford’s Guide — Bitter Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe (reference) link
- Kindred Cocktails — Bitter Mai Tai, early Dram attribution, 2011 (reference) link
- Strong Water Anaheim — menu creator/date credit, 2026 (venue claim) link
Strength. About 1.27 US standard drinks at an estimated 15.4% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.