Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide

Updated May 15, 2012

SPECIAL EVENT: ‘Mai-Kai Mixer’ on June 9 serves up cocktail flights, live music and DJ
NEWS: Rums of The Mai-Kai: Legendary Lemon Hart returns to the promised land

Latest reviews: Wahine Delight | Sidewinder’s Fang | Special Reserve Daiquiri | See all
New recipe: Oh So Deadly | Updated recipes: Cobra Kiss | Jet Pilot | Yeoman’s Grog
151 Swizzle | Zombie | Shrunken Skull
Jump below: The Atomic Grog’s drink ratings | Official drink menu

NEWS: The Mai-Kai is going mobile: We definitely need an app for that
Special features: Symposium explores rich history and long-lost stories of The Mai-Kai
* A backstage tour of The Mai-Kai’s mysterious bars and kitchen (with exclusive photos)
* Interview with General Manager Kern Mattei

Related links: The Mai-Kai’s online drink menu | More from The Swank Pad

The Okole Maluna Society

The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale is widely recognized as having perhaps the best authentic tropical drinks in the world. The drink menu remains virtually unchanged since its opening in 1956 and most of the classic recipes date back to the original Tiki drinks invented by Don the Beachcomber in the 1930s and ’40s.

In the early years, The Mai-Kai had a club called the Okole Maluna (or Bottom’s Up) Society. To become a member, you had to sample every one of the drinks on the menu and have them checked off your membership card. Once you joined the club, you were given access to a special off-menu drink.
(See the menu on The Swank Pad)

The society no longer exists, but we’re resurrecting it here on The Atomic Grog. We’ve sampled all the current drinks and have ranked them below on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Following the rankings you’ll also find the drinks listed by category as they appear on the menu. For 52 weeks, from June 2011 until June 2012, we’ll be posting detailed reviews (with photos) of all the cocktails on the menu, plus a few off the menu, as well as some classics that are no longer offered. Drinks will be hyperlinked to our reviews, so be sure to check back weekly.

We’ll also be featuring some authentic Mai-Kai recipes along with “tribute” drinks from The Atomic Grog and others in the Tiki community. But many of the recipes remain a puzzle. You see, the aura of these mysterious drinks is created by the fact that they’re for the most part top-secret recipes (in the tradition of Don the Beachcomber) that have never been revealed. The cocktails are created in back bars, away from public view. We’ll also post some of the original Donn Beach recipes that inspired The Mai-Kai’s legendary mixologist, Mariano Licudine.

We’ll be continually enhancing this guide with photos and behind-the-scene stories, so be sure to check the links at the top of the page. We hope to pay homage to The Mai-Kai, a one-of-a-kind mid-century marvel, and its amazing cocktails that top even those at the trendiest craft cocktail bar today.

Okole maluna!

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The Atomic Grog’s Mai-Kai drink ratings
(Click on hyperlinks for full reviews and recipes)
[recipe] = Official recipe / [ancestor] = Ancestor recipe / [tribute] = Tribute recipe

5 stars

1 – Zombie (strong) [ancestors / tribute]

4 1/2 stars

2 – Shark Bite (medium)
   [ancestor / tribute]
3 – 151 Swizzle (strong)
   [ancestor / tribute]
4 – Special Planters Punch (strong) [ancestor]

4 stars

5 – Barrel O’ Rum (strong) [recipe]
6 (tie) – Sidewinder’s Fang (strong) [ancestor]
Mystery Drink (strong) [ancestor]
7 – Jet Pilot (strong) [ancestors / tribute]
8 – Cobra Kiss (medium) [ancestor / tribute]
9 – Rum Julep (medium) [ancestor]
10 – Mutiny (strong) [tribute]
11 – Shrunken Skull (strong) [ancestor / tribute]
12 – Yeoman’s Grog (strong) [ancestor]
13 – The Hukilau (strong) [tribute]

3 1/2 stars

14 – Black Magic (strong) [tribute]
15 – Mai-Tai (strong)
16 – Pina Passion (medium) [ancestor]
17 – Samoan Grog (mild)
   [ancestor / tribute]
18 – Zula (strong) [ancestor / tribute]
19 – K.O. Cooler (strong) [ancestor]
20 – Special Reserve Daiquiri (medium)
    [ancestor]
21 – S.O.S. (mild) [ancestor / tribute]
22 – Deep-Sea Diver (medium) [ancestor]
23 – Moonkist Coconut (medium) [recipe]
24 – Hidden Pearl (medium)
   [ancestor / tribute]
25 – Tahitian Breeze (medium)
26 – Mara-Amu (medium) [recipe]
27 (tie) – Chocolate Snowflake (after dinner) [tribute]
Mai-Kai Blizzard (after dinner) [tribute]

3 stars

28 (tie) – Hot Buttered Rum (after dinner) [tribute]
Kona Coffee Grog (after dinner)
29 – Oh So Deadly (mild) [ancestor] | [tribute]
30 – Piña Colada (medium) [ancestor/tribute]
31 – Malayan Mist (mild) [ancestor]
32 – Mai-Kai Special (mild) [tribute]
33 – Mai-Kai Swizzle (mild) [tribute]
34 – Floridita Daiquiri (mild) [recipe]
35 – Derby Daiquiri (mild) [recipe]
36 – Gardenia Lei (after dinner) [ancestor]

2 1/2 stars

37 – Bora Bora (strong) [ancestor]
38 – Banana Daiquiri (mild) [recipe]
39 – Strawberry Daiquiri (mild) [tribute]
40 – Martinique Milk Punch (mild) [ancestor]

2 stars

41 – Planters Punch (medium) [ancestor]
42 – Tahitian Coffee (after dinner) [ancestor]
43 (tie) – Wahine Delight
Mai-Kai Cappuccino (after dinner)

RETIRED DRINKS
Last Rites (3 1/2) [recipe]
Demerara Cocktail (2 1/2) [recipe]

Disclaimers: These ratings are based on Hurricane Hayward’s own personal tastes. He tends to prefer strong, complex drinks with a unique flavor profile. Aside from perhaps the bottom three or four, they’re all highly recommended and sure to please imbibers with different tastes. The top three are remarkable, and the top 10 are all worthy of the Tiki drink hall of fame. But please, consume with caution, they’re all very potent.

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Mai-Kai tropical drink menu
(Our ratings in parentheses, 1-5 stars)
(Click on hyperlinks for full reviews and recipes)

STRONG

Zombie (5) [ancestors / tribute]
151 Swizzle (4 1/2) [ancestor / tribute]
Special Planters Punch (4 1/2) [ancestor]
Barrel O’ Rum (4) [recipe]
Sidewinder’s Fang (4) [ancestor]
Mystery Drink (4) [ancestor]
Jet Pilot (4) [ancestors / tribute]
Mutiny (4) [tribute]
Shrunken Skull (4) [ancestor / tribute]
Yeoman’s Grog (4) [ancestor]
The Hukilau (4) [tribute]
Black Magic (3 1/2) [tribute]
Mai-Tai (3 1/2)
Zula (3 1/2) [ancestor / tribute]
K.O. Cooler (3 1/2) [ancestor]
Bora Bora (2 1/2) [ancestor]

MEDIUM

Shark Bite (4 1/2) [ancestor / tribute]
Cobra Kiss (4) [ancestor / tribute]
Rum Julep (4) [ancestor]
Pina Passion (3 1/2) [ancestor]
Special Reserve Daiquiri (3 1/2)
    [ancestor]
Deep-Sea Diver (3 1/2) [ancestor]
Moonkist Coconut (3 1/2) [recipe]
Hidden Pearl (3 1/2) [ancestor / tribute]
Tahitian Breeze (3 1/2)
Mara-Amu (3 1/2) [recipe]
Piña Colada (3) [ancestor/tribute]
Planters Punch (2) [ancestor]

MILD

Samoan Grog (3 1/2) [ancestor / tribute]
S.O.S. (3 1/2) [ancestor / tribute]
Oh So Deadly (3) [ancestor] | [tribute]
Malayan Mist (3) [ancestor]
Mai-Kai Special (3) [tribute]
Mai-Kai Swizzle (3) [tribute]
Floridita Daiquiri (3) [recipe]
Derby Daiquiri (2 1/2) [recipe]
Strawberry Daiquiri (2 1/2) [tribute]
Banana Daiquiri (2 1/2) [recipe]
Martinique Milk Punch (2 1/2) [ancestor]

AFTER DINNER

Chocolate Snowflake (3 1/2) [tribute]
Mai-Kai Blizzard (3 1/2) [tribute]
Hot Buttered Rum (3) [tribute]
Kona Coffee Grog (3)
Gardenia Lei (3) [ancestor]
Tahitian Coffee (2) [ancestor]
Wahine Delight (2)
Mai-Kai Cappuccino (2)

OFF-MENU DRINKS
Grandfather Barrel (4)
Rainbow Barrel (2 1/2)

Click here for The Mai-Kai’s online drink menu

Mai-Kai promotional videos

2009 press party video to announce extensive renovations