Summer fun: The 1944 Trader Vic's Mai Tai vs. Mai Tai of today...

Summer fun: The original 1944 Trader Vic's Mai Tai vs. the Hawaiian Islands version. Which do you like better?

The classic original Trader Vic's Mai Tai:

Juice of one large lime
1/2 ounce Orgeat Syrup (Almond Syrup)
1/2 ounce Orange Curaçao Liqueur
1/4 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce aged Jamaican Rum
1 ounce aged Martinique Rum

(you can substitute the combination of rums for 2 ounces of Jamaican rum, but Trader Vic’s says the mix of flavors makes for a better cocktail)

Shake and pour into a cold glass full of ice. Garnish with various tropical fruits; use lime, pineapple, a maraschino cherry and mint sprigs.

Hawaiian version of the Mai Tai:

1 ounces light rum
1 ounces dark rum
½ ounce Orange Curacao
½ ounces fresh pineapple juice
½ ounce fresh orange juice
½ ounce fresh lime juice
Dash grenadine

Shake and pour into a cold glass full of crushed ice. Garnish with various tropical fruits; use lime, pineapple, a maraschino cherry and mint sprigs.