Tiki's Revisited and Final Words

After a day in the hot Hawaiian sun, I was asked where I would like to have a celebratory birthday drink. In recognition of the great 1944 Mai Tai I had earlier in the week, and because this would be the last Mai Tai experience of the trip, I chose to return to Tiki's Grill and Bar. We showed up with about an hour left of Happy Hour, which featured $5 Mai Tais.

The Happy Hour drink was not the 1944 Mai Tai, but instead the "Surf Mai Tai," which was not found on the written menu. According to our waitress, this Mai Tai contained Trader Vic's light and dark rums with a mix of orange, pineapple, and passion fruit juices. I decided to give this cheaper alternative a try. 

There was a nice skewer of the typical garnishes laying across the top of the slightly-too-tall glass. There was no umbrella, but it did have a nice dark rum float, which was a nice touch for the Happy Hour version of the MT. It had the same, acceptable, ice as before. The drink was definitely sweeter than was the 1944 Mai Tai, but was not disgusting or syrupy and did not leave too thick of an aftertaste in the mouth. The juices all tasted very fresh and real, especially in comparison to the ready-to-drink mix I tried earlier in the day. The medley was similar in composition to POG, but had pineapple instead of guava, giving the drink a classic Hawaiian flavor. The 'Tai was extremely drinkable; there was barely any rum burn. It was a bit more like drinking a glass of juice than drinking a typical potent Mai Tai, likely related to the cheaper happy hour price. While it was a really nice and refreshing afternoon treat, it did need more rum to contend with the island big boys. The Surf Mai Tai was, overall, a great drink for the price and exceeded my expectations for their cheaper alternative, proving, again, that Tiki's truly is Mai Tai champion.

8.5/10

To add a maraschino cherry to the top of my expedition cocktail, I decided to conclude it with a final Tiki's 1944 Mai Tai for the table while the sun began to set over the horizon. The drink came in a pint glass (I know, but I can look past this because of the more-than-redeeming qualities of the drink) with a beautiful lilikoi foam and signature mint sprig. I stirred in the foam and passed the drink around the table. It was literally finished in less than 2 minutes with everyone agreeing that it was a delightful and potent Mai Tai. Having it again solidified my opinion of this being the best Mai Tai iteration on the island.

Below are the comprehensive results of my expedition:

Thank you so much for reading my blog. In tasting these Mai Tai's, I have seen what makes or breaks this type of drink and will attempt to make the perfect Mai Tai at home.

Ellie's Corner

What a whirlwind of emotions this Mai Tai Expedition has been. On the evening of Eric's birthday and the eve of mine, it seems the perfect time to finish. With 2 final Mai Tais today, both of which were delicious, especially the 1944, it tied a nice bow on the end of the experiment. I had a Blue Hawaii during the happy hour, which tasted extremely blue. Today I listened to the faint strains of the Pokemon theme song through the door connecting us to the next unit, which seems like a nice send-off experience. It's been fun to have this little corner to myself, and if Eric reviews any future Mai Tais, I'll figure out something to write about. We learned during this trip that "Maita'i" means "good" in Tahitian. So thanks y'all for reading. Maita'i Night, and Maita'i Luck.