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Barrel aged Mai Tai - a full success with an unexpected set back

Now we did the whole barrel aged Mai Tai thing: I thought it will be great to use Wray & Nephews white overproof and Cointreau and solid orgeat... And age everything in a barrel.
So now we aged this mixture (with additional like zest) I'm a one liter oak barrel for ca. 8 weeks.
The liquid which came out is dark amber and smells intoxicating- sporting a lot of funk of the Jamaica rum, however also have toffee aromas and... oak.

The taste is even better, while it is quite sweet, the rather strong alcohol level balances perfectly the sweetness and there is a ton of complexity...

The set back, you ask?
It is, that it became almost too good, to mix with fresh lime juice and pour onto a lot of crushed ice. In fact, I would prefer this barrel-aged cocktail before other aged rums... E.g. the prohibitly expensive Havana Club Añejo 15 Años. Or even an Appleton Estate 21 years old...
It actually needs only a few drops of waters...

While this might be just the best cocktail base since the original Mai Tai was concocted out of the mystical Wray Nephew 17 years old, it let me silently cry, as it is so good on its own. It is comparable, if someone asks for a Macallan Sherry Oak 25 years old on a lot of ice. While you are doing it (this revenue opportunity is too good to pass) it just makes you very very sad inside...

Anyway... If you are living in Dubai, there are only a couple of Barrel Aged Mai Tai's available at La Baie Lounge. We are working already on a much bigger batch which will take quite some time (next batch will be a 5 liter barrel which will take much, much longer).

Cheers!


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