Disgruntled Mai Tai

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 30 ml Overproof Jamaican Rum
(Preferably Smith & Cross)
- 30 ml Aperol
- 30 ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 15 ml Orgeat
- 15 ml Orange Curaçao
- Bottle of Underberg

GARNISH:
- Sprig of Mint
- Cocktail Umbrella Lantern

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients except bottle of Underberg in a cocktail shaker.
• Give it a brief dry shake without ice.
• Add small amount of crushed ice and shake briefly.
• Strain over fresh crushed ice into a cocktail glass.
• Remove the cap and paper cover of the Underberg and stick it upside down into crushed ice.
• Garnish with a sprig of mint and a cocktail umbrella lantern.

Cocktail author: Sam Ross.

Sam Ross has created some of the best-known modern classics like Penicillin and Paper Plane, while Disgruntled Mai Tai, sort of lives in the shadows, and rarely pops in the conversation when discussing cocktails. Yet it is a delicious and playful cocktail, that reinvents tiki classic, by introducing a bitter and herbal dimension to it.

Main spirit of the cocktail is overproof Jamaican rum – a bold statement full of tropical fruitiness and those distinct notes of overripe bananas. Higher proof of the spirit helps it to stand up to other ingredients and not get lost in this amalgam of other strong flavours. Aperol along with orange curacao complement each other and blends those bitter-sweet notes of orange along with aged nature of cognac together for greater flavour impact. Lime juice, true to a tiki fashion, adds that recognizable tartness cutting through the rum, amaro and orgeat giving the cocktail that fresh kick it needs. Orgeat brings signature notes of almonds to the mix, while at the same time ensuring that balance of the cocktail remains intact. Last, but certainly not least, a little bottle of Underberg slowly works its magic, while sipping the cocktail, by releasing its herbal complexity which completely alters the Mai Tai drinking experience one ever had before.

In the end, Disgruntled Mai Tai, might not follow the classic tiki tradition to the letter, but how this cocktail evolves and changes in the glass with every sip is almost theatrical and ready to captivate even the biggest sceptic. I highly recommend trying this recipe, it might not be for everyone, but just making it and then looking at that upside-down bottle in there will surely pique your interest.

Source material:
https://punchdrink.com/recipes/disgruntled-mai-tai/