Bitter Mai Tai Recipe
Bitter Mai Tai Ingredients
1.5 oz / 45 ml Campari
0.75 oz / 22 ml Jamaican rum (I used Smith & Cross)
0.5 oz / 15 ml Dry curaçao
1 oz / 30 ml Fresh lime juice
0.75 oz / 22 ml Orgeat (I used Liber & Co.)
Mint sprig and a lime wheel, for garnish
How to make a Bitter Mai Tai
Add the Campari, rum, curaçao, lime juice, and orgeat to a shaker with a scoop of pebble or crushed ice. Like a classic Mai Tai, it only needs a brief shake to chill. Fill your tiki mug (or double rocks glass) nearly to the top with pebble ice, pour the drink in, and garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
The Bitter Mai Tai was created by Jeremy Oertel in 2011 at Dram in Brooklyn. The bar has since closed, but I'm glad the recipe lives on: Campari steps into the lead role usually held by a second rum, and the result drinks like a Mai Tai that grew a sharp tongue. Some versions use equal parts rum and Campari, but I stick with the original Campari-forward spec, and the 57% Smith & Cross makes sure the rum doesn't get lost. I made this one in my Dorothy Zbornak tiki mug from the Geeki Tikis Golden Girls set, because a drink with this much bite could only belong to Dorothy.
