Specification
| Aged Jamaican rum | 30 ml |
| Rhum agricole or aged rum | 30 ml |
| Fresh lime juice | 30 ml |
| Orange curaçao | 15 ml |
| Orgeat | 15 ml |
| Crushed ice | to fill |
Method
- 01Shake everything briefly with a scoop of crushed ice.
- 02Pour unstrained into a rocks glass, ice and all.
- 03Top with more crushed ice to form a dome.
- 04Garnish with a spent lime shell and a mint sprig.
Where it comes from
Victor Bergeron built it at Trader Vic's in 1944 for friends from Tahiti, and the story goes that one said maita'i — good. The tropical fruit-punch version came later and is a different drink wearing the same name.
If you change one thing: Orgeat is almond syrup, and it is not optional. Without it you have a rum sour; with it you get the marzipan note that defines the drink.