Winter Mai Tai Recipe – How to Make a Winter Mai Tai

There is perhaps no other drink that conjures a warm, tropical, island vacation than the mai tai. The rum-based drink was invented in the 30s (whether it was Trader Vic or Don the Beachcomber is still a debate in cocktail nerd circles) and quickly became the go-to drink at any bar where shorts and flip flops won’t get you shown the door. You could easily whip up the standard mai tai any time of year and give yourself a flashback to your last Hawaiian vacation, or you could give the drink a little winter twist so that it has one foot in those warm waters, and the other, fireside, where nutmeg and cinnamon fills the air. That was the challenge that we presented to Will Wyatt, one of our favorite bartenders, at one of favorite bars, Mister Paradise in New York’s East Village. (An Esquire Best Bar in 2019.) The secret to his winterized mai tai is an elegant one: instead of using an almond orgeat, the key syrup that gives the mai tai its body and hint of savoriness, he whipped up an orgeat using pecans and cinnamon as a nod to that pecan pie that you just can’t resist come fall and winter. If you ever wanted a truly tropical libation that you could sip by the fireplace or apres ski, this will do the trick. The Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum is rich and toasty—a rum, a whiksey-lover would dig. Don’t be scared by the orgeat recipe—it’s just a syrup and much easier than it may initially appear. As far as the cocktail? That’s even easier. Watch the video to learn how to make it like Will.