Thandai Mai-tai Recipe
Recipe information
Make Thandai Mai-tai in just 45m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
Thandai Syrup
Mai-Tai Cocktail Components
Thandai Syrup
1. Soak nuts & seeds
Place blanched almonds, pistachios, and melon seeds (or cashews) in a small bowl and cover with 1/4 cup cold water. Let soak 20–30 minutes to soften.
2. Toast & grind spices
While nuts soak, lightly toast fennel seeds and black peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat 1–2 minutes until aromatic. Remove from heat and let cool. Split cardamom pods and scrape seeds; reserve seeds.
3. Make nut-spice paste
Drain the soaked nuts, then transfer nuts, toasted spices, cardamom seeds, saffron threads, and 1 cup whole milk to a blender. Blend on high until very smooth, about 60–90 seconds. If mixture is too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons additional milk to facilitate blending.
4. Simmer with sugar
Pour the blended mixture into a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup sugar and gently warm over low heat, stirring frequently. Heat just to a gentle simmer (do not boil hard) for 6–8 minutes to infuse flavors and dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.
5. Strain and finish
Strain the warm mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid and flavor as possible. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon rose water. Taste: the syrup should be pleasantly floral, nutty, and slightly sweet. Cool completely to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator before using. Yields about 1 cup; reserve 1 ounce per cocktail.
Mai-Tai Cocktail Assembly
6. Prepare shaker
Fill a cocktail shaker with 1 cup of ice.
7. Combine ingredients
Add 2 oz aged rum, 0.75 oz orange curaçao, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz orgeat, 1 oz chilled thandai syrup, and 0.25 oz simple syrup only if additional sweetness is desired to balance tartness.
8. Shake
Shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the shaker is cold and well-chilled (creates dilution and a good froth from the orgeat/thandai).
9. Strain & serve
Double-strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with fresh crushed or cubed ice.
10. Dark rum float
Carefully pour 0.5 oz dark rum over the back of a bar spoon to float it on top of the cocktail for aroma and visual contrast.
11. Garnish & finish
Garnish with a mint sprig, a lime wheel at the rim, and a light sprinkle (about 1 tsp) of finely crushed pistachio over the top. Optionally, thread a few saffron threads on the mint for an elegant touch. Serve with a short straw.
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