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Mai-Kai
A Polynesian potion paradise

Pioneer tropical mixologist Don the Beachcomber is credited with blending West Indies rums and tropical fruit juices to create the first commercial tiki drinks. It happened in Beverly Hills, Calif., around 1930, at one of the Beachcomber's sidewalk stands, and cocktail historians believe it marked the beginning of the tropical drink craze in the United States.

Mariano Licudine worked his way up in the Don the Beachcomber operation to the "number two" man and in 1956 he left to help open the Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Manager Kern Mattei gave Cocktail.com a rare tour behind the bar, sharing the secret to Mai-Kai's success.

"There's nothing so pure and delicious as a freshly made tropical drink," he explains. "We make nothing in advance and each drink is created individually by hand."

Tropical drinks are simply described as drinks containing different amounts of various rums mixed with fresh fruit juices, and usually sweetened with flavored syrup.

The Floridita was a Havana favorite of Hemingway and Mariano Licudine's Derby came in first in 1960 at the Gulfstream Race Track. The potent Barrel of Rum overflows at the Mai-Kai, while designated drivers sip the Tahitian Paradise. What separate these beverages from others are their basic ingredients.

Rum

There are three main classifications of rum: 1) very dry, light bodies, brandy like rums; 2) full bodied, rich, pungent rums; and 3) light bodied, but pungently aromatic rum. Rums of various islands or countries all developed their own individual character but generally can be included as one of these types.

White rum finds its way into daiquiris, rum sours, rum martinis, and similar drinks. The rums with more flavor accent (true golden rums) are the mainstays of rum on the rocks, rum and coke, rum collins, and other drinks where a distinct but not overpowering rum aftertaste is desired. The sturdy, heavy-bodied rums with the pungent flavors, typified by Jamaican rums, may be taken straight, but are more likely to find their eventual homes in rum swizzles, planter's punch, winter punch bowls, and in mixed tropical drinks combined with lighter rums.

"The Jamaican rums are the ones that we primarily use in most of our tropical drinks here at the Mai-Kai, but you should also be familiar with some specific descriptions and comparisons of the other rums we use," says Mattei. With more than 57 specialty drinks on the menu, they use a lot.

What separates their collection from other restaurants is their large assortment including many rare and out-of-production rums. "Some of our most coveted are the rums from pre-Castro Cuba made by Bacardi before being forced to leave and setting up operations in Puerto Rico and eventually in Mexico and Venezuela as well," he says.

Fruit Juice

Fresh fruit juices are equally as important, perhaps even more important, than the rums. "The main juices we use are orange, lime, grapefruit, pineapple and lemon," says Mattei. "Pineapple juice we do get in cans, but our orange juice, grapefruit juice and lemon juice is squeezed fresh daily."

He continues, "Our lime juice is particularly important and there is a long history of its use here at the Mai-Kai. We prefer juice from what is called a Mexican West Indies lime or Key Lime. There are two kinds of limes, which are quite different in appearance and taste. There is a Persian or Tahitian lime, which is large and shaped, likes a lemon. Then there is the Mexican or West Indies or Key Lime that is smaller and completely round like a golf ball, and although green through its growing and maturing stage it begins to turn yellow as it ripens. There is a tremendous difference in the taste of these two items and we have always noticed and preferred the juice of the West Indies lime. We had them compared and analyzed a few years ago in a lab and were told that the West Indies lime has a much higher oil content and acidity. This is our preference and the choice of the lime makes a very noticeable difference in the taste of the drinks."

Mixing Syrup

Syrups are the final main ingredients in tropical drinks and there are a vast variety of them, many of which sure were created especially for the tropical drink industry. At the Mai-Kai they use Kui-Kui (passion fruit juice from Hawaii), Trader Vic's Passion Fruit Syrup (a blend of passion fruit), Astro Flavors (a concentrate of different flavors such as spice), Fassionola (a South Seas mix base), and Falernum (a West Indies product for sweetening and flavoring).

These ingredients can be difficult to come by, so save yourself the stress, just make your next destination South Florida and head over to the Mai-Kai.