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Barrel Aged Mai Tai

I got a sample barrel of www.muddle-me.com for a corporate bar workout.

As we don't have any unaged whiskies in the region [which are so trendy in the US], I had to think differently. Negroni and other similar aperitifs? Already done and boring [well - not really, but boring in a sense of no more that cutting edge].

…but what is about a barrel aged mai tai?
Especially in the Middle-East, you have to think beverage cost. A adequate rum [if available] cost a lot here - and due to your budgeted beverage cost, a proper Mai Tai will be very expensive - though still lay heavy on your cost.
What is an adequate rum? As something like Cadenhead Jamaica Longpond Estate Cask Strength [until now my undisputed favorite for a Mai Tai] is definitely not available [well, it will be on very short supply - I think they don't have anymore of this beauty left] you still have to use something Jamaican. Precious. Same company as the original Wray Nephews 17 years old could not harm. Talking of age - it should be also quite old.
Until now, I found only Appleton 21 years old really adequate. Unfortunately this comes at the price of around 200 US. You can imagine, what you would have to charge.
Quite some time ago, Appleton has a 18 years old rum - unfortunately this is also long gone.

There is also another product, which is fulfilling all these points: Coruba 18 years old - but guess what? It is also not available in the UAE.

I guess, you already get the drift: why not aging something in oak, which is "extinct"? sounds a bit like Jurassic Park - and well - feels also a bit like that.

The non perishable ingredients are now in the 1 quart barrel and it is stored in a quite warm place [this would speed up the maturation]. While you could add the lime juice, due to the high alcohol and rather high sugar content, I am still a firm believer in adding it, at the end, when the drink is prepared.

The actually cool thing is, that I used only matching and high quality unaged liquors: Wray & Nephews  white overproof (!!!) and Cointreau - both will change more into the ingredients, which were original in the Mai Tai [orange curaçao was also originally based on a aged spirit].

I will report later on, how it turns out. It definitely needs a couple of weeks - maybe even longer.

Wish me luck!

Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Well... I posted the result in a later post. The Barrel Aged Mai Tai is pretty awesome. Quite strong, though, I have used quite big barrels [5 liters now], which slows down the whole maturation... Hence you need at least 2 to 3 month, until the Mai Tai is on his top. But then... momma - it is great!

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