Coconut Mai Tai
cocktail
Coconut Mai Tai
A Mai Tai with one clean change: canned coconut cream replaces simple syrup and the whole thing goes in the blender. The coconut fattens the orgeat’s almond note and turns the rums into a soft, slightly pillowy slush that rides cooler and slower than the shaken original. For zero-proof, swap in a nonalcoholic dark rum or skip spirits and add 2 oz coconut water plus two extra dashes of orange bitters; blend as below. Pro move: freeze the lime shell and glass so the garnish chills without watering the drink.
Do Ahead
Orgeat can be measured and the coconut cream stirred smooth ahead; spirit mix can be batched same day. Lime juice must be fresh and added at blend time.
Ingredients
- 1 oz aged rum
- 1 oz Jamaican rum
- 0.5 oz dry orange curaçao
- 0.25 oz orgeat
- 0.75 oz fresh lime juice
- 0.25 oz coconut cream (canned, stirred smooth) (Twist: replaces simple syrup)
- Crushed ice (About 1 1/2 cups for blending and topping)
- Mint sprig and spent lime shell (Garnish)
What Done Looks Like
The pour should look pale jade and slightly opaque, with fine frost clinging to the glass. The blender jar should feel icy-cold and the mixture should ribbon thickly off the blades, not runny. If it slumps flat immediately, the ice was too little or too wet—add a handful and pulse twice.
Instructions
- 01 Prep: Measure aged rum (1 oz), Jamaican rum (1 oz), dry orange curaçao (0.5 oz), orgeat (0.25 oz), fresh lime juice (0.75 oz), and coconut cream (0.25 oz) into a small pitcher or dosing cup. If your canned coconut cream has separated, shake the can vigorously, warm it briefly in a bowl of hot water for 1–2 minutes, and stir/strain it smooth before measuring.
- 02 Glass: Use a double rocks glass at near-room temperature or briefly chill in the freezer (no longer than 60 seconds) so the crushed-ice dome forms predictably; do not deep-freeze the glass.
- 03 Blending: Add the measured liquids to the blender, then add 6–8 oz (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups) of fresh crushed ice. Blend on high in 5–7 second bursts, stopping to check texture; total blend time ~10–15 seconds on a full-power blender is a guideline. You want a soft-snow, slightly granular slurry that still holds a mound — if it's slushy or watery, reduce blend time or ice; if chunky, blend a few seconds more.
- 04 Serve: Heap the blended mixture into the glass, mounding crushed ice into a small dome. Tuck a lightly slapped mint sprig into the top of the dome and place the spent lime shell into the ice for aroma and presentation. Provide a short straw (and a small spoon if you prefer) and serve immediately.
If It Goes Sideways
- Blend tastes boozy and sharp, the ice load was light—add 1/2 cup crushed ice and 0.25 oz coconut cream, pulse 3 seconds to restore texture and balance.
- Drink melts fast, the glass was warm—pack with fresh crushed ice first to pre-chill, dump, then reblend briefly and pour into a frozen glass.
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