The Polynesian Restaurant Chain Credited For Creating The Original Mai Tai

With its fruity flavors and mint garnish, the mai tai feels like it originated on a tropical island, but that's not the case. The drink was actually invented in Oakland, California where the tiki trend was first created. 

In 1944, Victor Jules Bergeron first mixed up a mai tai at his bar, Trader Vic's, while trying to add something new to his drink menu. Bergeron claims to have served the drink to a Tahitian friend, who exclaimed upon trying the drink, "Mai Tai — Roa Ae," which means "out of this world — the best" in the Tahitian language (per Trader Vic's). From then on, the drink was known as the mai tai and has been served at Trader Vic's restaurants globally.

The cocktail fits right in with the tiki bar theme at Trader Vic's. The restaurants feature Polynesian decor, and their menus include dishes from Asian and Pacific cultures, like curries, stir-fries, a kimchi burger, and seafood dishes like crab rangoon and scallops on Pad Thai. In addition to the mai tai, Trader Vic's serves other cocktails and takes on the mai tai (like the Maui tai, featuring pineapple), drinks with tropical fruits like pineapple and passion fruit, and bowls of alcoholic punch you can share. 

Bergeron's mai tai has become such a phenomenon that in 2009, the mayor of Oakland declared August 30 to be Official Mai Tai Day. With the right ingredients, however, you can make mai tais at home and enjoy them any day.

A classic mai tai is made from Jamaican rum, orange Curaçao liqueur, and orgeat, which is a sweet syrup made from almonds and orange flower water. Over the mai tai's 80-year history, different versions of the drink have emerged. Trader Vic's restaurants have even branched out to serve variations on the classic that use vodka instead of rum or rely on other fruits, like passion fruit, guava, or mango, for a different fruity flavor.

One of the most well-known variations is the Royal Hawaiian mai tai. In 1953, Bergeron traveled to Hawaii where Matson Steamship Lines asked him to create a version of the mai tai for its hotels. He added orange juice and pineapple juice to the recipe, making an even fruitier version of the cocktail that tourists loved. 

Mixologists have continued to riff on the recipe. Today, you can find mai tais made with bourbon, bitters, and even banana liqueur on drink menus across the country.