1944 Mai Tai Recipe

Chill a double old-fashioned glass by filling with ice and setting aside, or place in freezer briefly.

Add Cruzan light rum (1.5 oz), orange curaçao (0.5 oz), orgeat (0.5 oz), and fresh lime juice (1 oz) into a cocktail shaker.

Add a scoop of crushed ice to the shaker (about 1 cup) and dry-shake (no ice) for 8–10 seconds only if using egg white in the foam step and you want extra texture; otherwise proceed to wet shake.

Add ice to the shaker and shake vigorously for 10–12 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted.

Discard the chilling ice from the prepared glass and fill the glass with fresh crushed ice.

Strain the shaken cocktail over the crushed ice in the glass, leaving room at the top (about 1/2 inch) for the passionfruit foam.

Float Whaler's dark rum (0.5 oz) over the top by pouring gently over the back of a bar spoon so it layers on the surface.

Combine passionfruit purée (1 oz), simple syrup (0.5 oz), lime juice (0.25 oz), and egg white (or aquafaba 0.5 oz) in a cocktail shaker or small mixing vessel.

If using, add soy lecithin (0.25 tsp) to improve foam stability. Note: lecithin is optional; the egg white or aquafaba will foam on its own.

Dry-shake (no ice) the mixture vigorously for 15–20 seconds to build volume in the foam.

Add a few ice cubes and shake again very briefly (5–8 seconds) to slightly chill the foam mixture. Strain the foam through a fine mesh if seeds are undesired.

Using a spoon, gently spoon or pour the passionfruit foam onto the top of the cocktail until it covers the surface (about 1–1.5 oz of foam).

Garnish the foam with a lime wheel and a sprig of fresh mint. Optionally sprinkle a few passionfruit seeds or place a dehydrated passionfruit slice on top for visual contrast.

Serve immediately with a short straw and enjoy. Advise the guest to give the drink a gentle stir if they prefer the foam incorporated into the cocktail.