Famous Mai Tai Recipe
Aloha! Get ready to enjoy the absolute best mai tai recipe, straight from Hawaii!

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Hawaiian Mai Tai
You’ve likely found yourself here because you’re a fellow Mai Tai lover! Welcome! My husband and I were in Hawaii a few weeks ago where we tried a lot of Mai Tais! One of our absolute favorites came from Halekulani’s House Without a Key! It’s a gorgeous restaurant overlooking Waikiki Beach with the beautiful aqua waters.

My husband became quite the Mai Tai connoisseur while we there, and he’s already making them at home now too! Thankfully, Halekulani’s shares their famous recipe SO we can all enjoy them! Now, you won’t quite have the gorgeous views but hey, your friends will be begging for the amazing Mai Tai recipe!
Here are a couple of phone pics I snapped while on the island, I truly felt like I was in paradise!


Now, don’t look at this mai tai recipe and think “I have no idea what those ingredients are, I’ll never be able to make this” because that’s exactly what I did at first, but my husband walked me through them all and it’s really a lot simpler than it looks.
Mai Tai Ingredients
- ORGEAT SYRUP – This is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and rose water or orange flower water! It’s most commonly used in…you got it..the Mai Tai! Now you can just buy it HERE or get really creative and make it yourself!
- ORANGE CURACAO – You’ll find this at any liquor store but be careful not to get the vibrant blue version.
- ROCK CANDY SYRUP – This is a sweeter and thicker version of simple syrup. To make it, take 2 parts sugar, 1 part water, brought to a boil, lower to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Ta-da! Or simply buy it HERE.
- BACARDI GOLD RUM, BACARDI 151 Rum, BACARDI Select – Also at any liquor store, these should not be too difficult to find. Now, the gold rum is known as an amber rum, but you could swap in a dark rum.
Now in my opinion, the sugar cane is a necessity for making this cocktail! The orchid, well, that might be an expensive addition so you could opt for a cocktail umbrella instead. But the sugar cane, I have these sugar cane stirrers in my home bar, and I LOVE THEM! P.S. They’re also fun to serve with coffee, tea, or anything you might add sugar to!
Secrets to the Perfect Mai Tai
- Be sure to use fresh lime juice, it makes all the difference.
- The Mai Tai does not have pineapple juice or orange juice, contrary to popular belief.
- Don’t blend your Mai Tai, serve it over finely crushed ice.
- And garnish your glass, it’s the little things, friends!
How to Make a Mai Tai
Add the ingredients over crushed ice (this is key) and always add that rum floater on top! Garnish away or drink as is! Enjoy!

Mai Tai Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 Ounce Orgeat Syrup
- 1/3 Ounce Orange Curaçao
- 1/3 Ounce Rock Candy Syrup
- 3/4 Ounce Bacardi Gold Rum
- 1/2 Ounce Bacardi 151 Rum
- 1 1/4 Ounce Fresh Lime Juice
- 3/4 Ounce Bacardi Select - float
Instructions
- Build over crushed ice and float with 3/ 4 ounce of Bacardi Select Rum.
- Garnish with lime wheel, sugar cane stick, mint leaf, and Vanda orchid.
Nutrition
There you have it! The best mai tai ever! I have a few other travel tips and make-at-home recipe ideas from Hawaii, so if you love this one, let me know in the comments! Sip sip hooray!
P.S. If you’re looking for more cocktail ideas, check these out!
These best cocktail ever! I make these all summer long.
Your trip looks amazing! I’m craving a tropical drink now!
What an awesome drink! I need a tropical vacation in this polar vortex!
This drink is heavenly. Super tropical and that’s just what I’m needing right now.
Hawaii is on my bucket list……until then, I’ll just enjoy this cocktail!!
My husband and I just returned from a trip to Maui and the big island. Best Mai Tais I ever had were on our resort at Mauna Kea. I’ve been experimenting and just can’t seem to perfect it. I will try your recipe!!
I would love to have more Hawaiian recipes. Where do you get sugarcane stirrers?
I just have come back from a fabulous holiday in Hawaii for two weeks, I always wanted to try a Mai Tai, absolutely love this amazing cocktail along with my frozen Margarita. Now back on the beautiful Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia … I will start making my own Mai Tai cocktails … Thanks heaps … ALOHA ????