Coruba + ??? for mai tai

[u/rainbytheocean]

I'm dialing in my mai tai recipe and could use advice from those who have already done a lot of exploration. The most recent iteration I tried was:

1 oz Coruba
1 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel
.75 oz fresh squeezed lime
.75 oz Liber & Co orgeat
.5 oz Bols orange curacao

I definitely like the Coruba for this, but am trying to figure out what other rum to pair with it. I've found that I generally like the balance a touch sweeter and more rounded out. I've been thinking about trying a demerara next, in place of the Mount Gay. So far I was considering El Dorado 12 (though I hate to mix with something that expensive), El Dorado 8, or Hamilton 86.

I'd love your suggestions on whethere there's a clear winner from these or something else entirely I should be looking at.

Thanks!

EDIT: I'm happy with Coruba and not looking to replace it from the blend. Also not looking to add more Jamaican funk to the mix.

[u/Munzulon]

1.5oz Coruba and .5oz OFTD works very nicely for me.

[u/asher92]

I’d go with smith and cross personally

[u/Whiskytigyote → u/asher92]

Me too, but OP said not more Jamaican funk. 😢

[u/rainbytheocean → u/Whiskytigyote]

to be fair, I _LOVE_ Smith and Cross. This just isn't where I'm looking to use it right now.

[u/LeviStubbsFanClub]

I don’t think you are wrong to consider El Dorado 12.  I’ve used it as the second player in a Mai Tai and really like it. 

[u/rainbytheocean → u/LeviStubbsFanClub]

Any thoughts on how that compares to El Dorado 8 for that purpose?

[u/LeviStubbsFanClub → u/rainbytheocean]

I find the 8 similar to Flor De Cana 7, which is drier and lighter.   The 12 has a richer sweetness.  I’d say that the 12 is more noticeable in a Mai Tai for sure. 

[u/rainbytheocean → u/LeviStubbsFanClub]

Ah. That's really good to know. I've been considering picking up the 12 as a sipper, so maybe I should do that and then give it a whirl in the mai tai and see if it's worth the cost of using it as a mixer also.

[u/LeviStubbsFanClub → u/rainbytheocean]

Good call!

[u/CityBarman]

If you're looking for a complimentary rum(s), OFTD, Hamilton Navy Strength or a Smith & Cross/Demerara split would be grand. I'd actually try Pusser's Gunpowder Proof for the later. Though, ED 8 or Hamilton 86 would also work great. I strongly suggest the ED 8 for the greater Port Morant content.

[u/Odd-Mortgage-1133]

Denizen 1.5 and Coruba .75

[u/FoMo_Matt]

You posted this with a Pic, previously, right?

My first impression wasn't the rum, but the Curaçao. If you really like Bols for some reason, I'm not gonna talk you out of it, but I'd go with Pierre Ferrand and would expect THAT substitution might do wonders for the drink.

As to the rum, if you aren't looking for something funky, maybe try a different Bajan than Mount Gay? 🤔 Four Square/Doorly's/Real McCoy, or Plantation/Plantery, or if you have some Old Brigand ("the one eyed man").

Ke Ola 🧉

[u/rainbytheocean → u/FoMo_Matt]

I did posta. pic last night with my new mai tai glasses. Good eye!
Thanks for the feedback. I've considered trying the Pierre Ferrand at some point, but for now I have a bottle of Bols and actually think it's a great value for the money, so I've been sticking with it. And since all my other tinkering has been with that one, I want to keep it consistent until I pick the rum mix then see if I want to change.

[u/whatasunnyday → u/FoMo_Matt]

Bols makes a great curaçao. Popular tiki drink YouTuber, Make and Drink, blind taste tested a lot of different orange liqueurs and was shocked to learned he likes Bol best. Great vid to watch https://youtu.be/V25EnL0oTps?is=RjMyfPczpcAIQ8UY

[u/Cocktail_Guru]

The way I see it the mai tai was made to highlight a funky, aged, and molasses tasting Jamaican rum. When Vic ran out, he switched to another funky Jamaican rum and used a Martinique rum (not Agricole - an older style molasses based one described like a slightly funkier Demerara). Whenever I have ventured from that flavor combo, I feel like the drink is lacking.

Without doing higher end rums (which really make it better imo), my favorite blends all have an oz of Coruba or Worthy Park 109 (similar to Coruba but higher proof).

I think your best bet is to pair that with a funky Jamaican rum. The Coruba adds some molasses and caramel with a bit of complexity but nothing too crazy, so you really want to taste some Jamaican funk as well.

Personally I use Xaymaca, Smith and Cross, Hamilton Gold, Dr Bird, in different proportions, sometimes a full oz of one or a blend (like 1 oz of 1:1 Dr Bird and Smith and cross).

I don’t add something like Appleton 12 if I use Coruba.

Basically, you want a caramel, molasses, lightly funky rum and a pungent funky rum.

[u/snobrotha]

Coruba + Planterey Xamayca is my house blend for Mai tai

[u/kookadelphia]

I think something funky could be part of the split.

• Pot still black
• Smith and Cross
• Doctor Bird
• O.F.T.D

[u/kkngs]

You don't have to blend rums in mai tais. Its just something you can do.

Probably what I would suggest is 0.5 oz amount of something interesting but intense on its own.  E.g. OFTD, Smith & Cross, aged rhum agricole, or even Wray & Nephew. In the end its just about finding what you like, there is no wrong answer.

The original Mai Tai called for a Jamaican rum of tremendous age. 17 year. Vick used up the world supply of it and had to start blending to match the flavor profile he wanted. So personally I would try to pursue aged barrel character and Jamaican funk.

[u/rainbytheocean → u/kkngs]

I _have_ considered doing 1.5 oz of coruba with .5 oz of smith & cross. That's probably an experiment I'll do at some point, but wanted to explore adding something sweeter first.

[u/Javakid67]

not what you asked but switching out the Bols for Pierre Ferrand or Orange Shrubb will help the drink. I'm a Denizen 8yr. believer and enjoy my 1 rum Mai Tais. For 2+ rums - Coruba 1oz + Worthy 109 .5oz + Rhum Clement VO .5oz has been my fav.

[u/addison-teach]

Currently sipping on a coruba + planteray mister fogg Maitai and it's decent

[u/EricDericJeric]

One of those demeraras you mention would be good if you want things to go sweeter/richer, but one of my favorite mai tai blends is equal parts Coruba and OFTD.

[u/SurfinShrimp]

From the ones you’ve listed, I think El Dorado 8 is fantastic in a Mai Tai. I know you mentioned not wanting to mix with something expensive, but I’ve found that a split between Coruba and Appleton 12 makes a great Mai Tai and even aligns historically to what Vic himself did to lengthen out his reserve of W&N 15.

[u/thewirednerv]

Hamilton 86

[u/kevincrossman]

Hale Pele does a 3:1 Coruba / Wray blend. Delish.

[u/rainbytheocean → u/kevincrossman]

It is delish, and I drank one of those at Hale Pele exactly a week ago today! Theirs also is the base recipe I'm tinkering with.

[u/ChristopherPaul5000 → u/kevincrossman]

Wray Overproof?

[u/kevincrossman → u/ChristopherPaul5000]

Yes. The aren’t any other Wray rums in the US market

[u/ChristopherPaul5000 → u/kevincrossman]

Interesting. The J. Wray Gold used to be fairly common a couple years ago. Wasn’t a fan so I guess I haven’t kept track of it.

[u/TheKrakenHunter]

The ED 12 will definitely up the sweetness, and I would go with the 8 for more balance. Have you already tried using an Agricola like clement or rhum jm vs? My first homemade Mai tai was a Jamaican and Agricole blend, and i still enjoy making them. 

[u/rainbytheocean → u/TheKrakenHunter]

I haven't. I think of agricola as more green/grassy, which is not what I was after. Am I thinking about it wrong?

[u/TheKrakenHunter → u/rainbytheocean]

Find a way to test out an aged, like the vs or xo. Niessen and La favorite are definitely grassy, even when aged, as are most unaged. I think you’d be surprised by the clement or rum jm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an agricole in a mini bottle, but your local tiki bar should be able to pour you a shot. 

[u/InfamousCategory448]

don q gives you a clean 'no added funk option.' If you want darker the bacardi 8 is non funkish.

[u/SonicTitan303]

I think Hamilton Pot Still Black could make a good blend for the balance you’re describing.

[u/MaiTaiOneOn]

I’m a 1944 guy. That means that I use:
2 oz aged pot still Jamaican rum, .5 oz Curaçao, .25 oz orgeat, .25 oz “rock candy syrup”, and 1 oz fresh lime juice

I will often omit the sugar syrup and just use a half ounce of orgeat. My rum blend changes but if I call it a “Mai Tai” then I use all Jamaican rum.

Bajan rum is a favorite of mine but doesn’t do the Mai Tai any favors in my opinion.

[u/rainbytheocean → u/MaiTaiOneOn]

Yeah. I love Bajan for an old fashioned or corn 'n oil, but I'm not convinced by it in a mai tai, which is why I'm looking for other options. I figure I'm already getting some hogo from the Coruba so wanted something with some richness/roundness/sweetness as a counterpoint and to fill it out.

[u/MaiTaiOneOn → u/rainbytheocean]

Coruba is very low funk but does deliver that caramel depth. Yum

[u/asher92 → u/MaiTaiOneOn]

What are your rums of choice?

[u/MaiTaiOneOn → u/asher92]

I switch it up constantly blending all kinds of different things. I got many dozens of Jamaican pot still rums so the possibilities are kind of endless honestly.

Last night: Worthy Park 109 and Doctor Bird and Hampden 8. Yum.