Mai-Kai cocktail review: This Daiquiri is special in more ways than one

Updated August 2020
See below: Our Special Reserve Daiquiri review | Ancestor recipe | Tribute recipe
NEW: Special Reserve Daiquiri featuring The Real McCoy 12-year-old Distillers Proof Mai-Kai Blend
Related: Mai-Kai cocktail guide

The Mai-Kai’s Special Reserve Daiquiri is a throwback to another era with its classic recipe and flamboyant presentation in a frozen ice shell, a lost art that the Tiki cocktail mecca has almost single-handedly helped keep alive for the past half-century.

The Daiquiri – invented in Cuba in the late 19th century and popularized at El Floridita bar in Havana – is not a complex drink. The original recipe is simply lime juice, sugar and rum (shaken, not blended). But in the hands of a master like Donn Beach, aka Don the Beachcomber, this simple sonata became a baroque symphony. Beach, who invented the tropical cocktail in the 1930s and inspired the original Mai-Kai drink menu, had an arsenal of Daiquiris. One of his early recipes likely inspired the Special Reserve Daiquiri.

The high quality and authenticity of the Special Reserve Daiquiri was confirmed in April 2012 at The Hukilau, when the big kahuna of tropical mixology, Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, was spotted with the drink in his hands on multiple occasions over the course of the annual Tiki fest. The author of the definitive books on the subject is known to have a soft spot for aged Appleton rum, which is the star of this cocktail.

Daiquiris often get a bad rap due the bland, sweet and slushy frozen versions served on cruise ships and at tourist traps. That’s certainly not the case at The Mai-Kai (try the frosty and delicious Floridita Daiquiri and Derby Daiquiri). But if you’re looking for a real-deal Daiquiri made with the style and flair of the original masters of the craft, join “The Bum” in savoring this very Special Daiquiri (that’s what it was called on the 1957 menu).
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* Daiquiris of Hope: Keeping the spirit of our favorite bars and bartenders alive
* Recipes, A through Z: More than a dozen delicious Daiquiris

We were thus inspired to come up with the tribute recipe you find below, complete with authentic ice shell.

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The official menu description

SPECIAL RESERVE DAIQUIRI
Smooth, 12 year old Appleton Jamaican rum makes this the perfect man’s daiquiri.

Okole Maluna Society review and rating

Size: Small

Potency: Medium

Flavor profile: Lime, honey, aged Appleton rum, a touch of fruit syrup.

Review: A classic sweet Daiquiri with simple, strong flavors and dazzling presentation.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars (see how it ranks)

Ancestry: An original Mai-Kai cocktail from the 1956 opening, the Special Reserve Daiquiri – originally called the Special Daiquiri – can be traced back to Don’s Special Daiquiri and the earlier Mona Daiquiri, which featured aged Jamaican rum. Old Don the Beachcomber menus also show a drink called Don’s Reserve Rum Daiquiri. By 1959, The Mai-Kai’s cocktail had also added “Reserve” to its name. See the menus: 1956-57 | 1959

Bilge: The ice shell glass is the same one used for the Gardenia Lei. We got a peek at them in the freezer during our back bar tour in November 2011. The tribute recipe below includes instructions on how to make one.

Agree or disagree? Share your reviews and comments below!

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ANCESTOR RECIPE
Don’s Special Daiquiri
(From Beachbum Berry Remixed)

* 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
* 1/2 ounce honey mix
(combine equal parts honey and water, chill)
* 1/2 ounce passion fruit syrup
* 1/2 ounce light Puerto Rican rum
* 1 ounce gold Jamaican rum

Shake with ice cubes. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

This is the 1970s version of Don the Beachcomber’s 1934 Mona Daiquiri, which called for 30-year-old Myers’s Mona rum.

According to an article in Punch, Donn switched up the rums when Mona was discontinued in 1947. Punch also features a modernized recipe from Daniele Dalla Pola of Nu-Lounge Bar in Bologna, Italy, and Esotico Miami that’s well worth checking out.

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Tribute to The Mai-Kai’s Special Reserve Daiquiri
By The Atomic Grog (updated December 2014)

* 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
* 1/2 ounce rich honey mix
(2 parts honey to 1 part water)
* 1/2 teaspoon fassionola (see below)
* 2 ounces Appleton Estate 12

Pulse blend with 1/2 cup crushed ice for 3-5 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, preferably one with a custom ice shell (instructions below). If not using the special ice feature, strain into a chilled coupe with a few ice cubes to simulate its chilling and dilution effect.

This is very similar to Don’s Special Daiquiri, with just a few tweaks. It’s likely that original Mai-Kai mixologist Mariano Licudine, who worked for Donn Beach from the late ’30s until he came to Fort Lauderdale in 1956, was familiar with several versions of this simple classic.

The drink’s red hue led us to believe that something other than passion fruit syrup was used as a sweetener, but grenadine didn’t seem to do the trick. We ran into the same issue with the Tahitian Breeze tribute and solved it with a small dose of fassionola, an intense red bar syrup that we believe is also used in the Cobra’s Kiss and Jet Pilot. After some tweaking of the proportions, we came up with a worthy tribute.

But to truly pay tribute to the Special Reserve Daiquiri, an authentic ice shell is absolutely necessary.

December 2014 update: The recipe was tweaked to increase the lime juice from 1/2 ounce to 3/4 ounce, and to reduce honey mix from 3/4 ounce to 1/2 ounce. The result is not as sweet and more balanced. If using a 1:1 honey mix, the previous proportions should work fine.

Notes and tips for home mixologists

* The 12-year-old Appleton is a great dark Jamaican rum and gives this drink a classic flavor that most likely comes somewhat close to the long-defunct Myers’s Mona used in the Donn Beach ancestor. It’s also a rum The Mai-Kai likes to spotlight on its menu. You’ll also find it in the Shark Bite and Mai Tai. For a list of more Appleton cocktails, click here.

* Before this tribute was completed, a commenter below noted a mystery flavor, probably a result of the honey and fassionola joining forces. Fassionola – discussed in much detail in the Cobra’s Kiss and Jet Pilot reviews – is basically a complex fruit punch syrup with cherry, raspberry and orange flavors. It’s made by Jonathan English under the name Fassionola Red Syrup (Tropical Gold Fruit). BG Reynolds also makes a very good fassionola syrup that contains more natural ingredients and works just as well. You can also create a similar syrup by combinign equal parts grenadine (a dark, rich brand such as Fee Brothers works best) and Smucker’s Red Raspberry Syrup. It yields the perfect combination of flavor and color. If you’re looking a natural alternative to Smucker’s, try the raspberry simple syrup made by Royal Rose. It’s 100 percent organic and contains no chemical preservatives, added colors or artificial flavors.

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The ice shell

If you want a truly authentic experience, give an ice shell a try. I found great instructions in Beachbum Berry’s books as well as this post by Mai-Kai expert Tim “Swanky” Glazner on his SwankPad.org blog, which I’ve taken from liberally in the instructions below.

* First, make sure you have the right glass. It can’t be too deep and it needs a rounded bottom. The bottom of the glass will serve as the base of the shell as it’s frozen. A 5-ounce stemmed cocktail glass should work fine. The Mai-Kai uses a specialty glass without the stem, but as long as it’s the right size and shape, you should be OK.

* Finely crushed ice is essential. It can’t bee too chunky and has to have an almost sno-cone-like consistency. I used a similar ice to make the Navy Grog ice cone. Amazon features many different ice shaver machines, including this one that’s highly rated. For normal crushed ice for drinks, I like the Waring Pro, which makes chunkier ice in larger quantities.

* Pack the glass with crushed ice (see Step 1 photo above), pressing down on the inside with the back of a spoon to create a bowl effect. Make sure the entire inside of the glass is covered and that the layer of ice is thick (but not too thick) and consistent. Put the glass in a freezer for several hours to overnight, making sure it gets good and hard.

* Remove the glass and let sit at room temperature for around 5 minutes, or until the shell starts to become loose from the glass. The shell should remain intact if it was properly packed in Step 1. Swanky’s tip is to also warm the glass with your hands, though I didn’t need to do this with my thin cocktail glass. Once it’s free, just slide the shell up toward the edge of the glass and pack it with more finely-crushed ice. This should keep the shell in place in its final position (see Step 2 photo above). Pack down the ice in the glass with a spoon tightly, creating another bowl where you’ll pour the drink. Freeze the glass in a safe spot in your freezer. I left it overnight to make sure it got very solid. Just make sure it’s protected since it can be fragile. I had something fall in my freezer and crush my first attempt.

* After preparing your cocktail, just remove your glass from the freezer and pour (see Step 3 photo above). The frozen shell should be good and solid … and worthy of this vintage drink. There’s nothing like a classic cocktail in a classic presentation.

Okole maluna!

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What we learned at Appleton master blender Joy Spence’s rum tasting
What could possibly be better than an Appleton Estate rum tasting at The Mai-Kai? How about the first-ever such event at the historic Polynesian palace hosted by Joy Spence, the longtime master blender for the venerable Jamaican brand synonymous with pure premium rum. Check out our full recpap and photos, including 5 things you might not know about Joy Spence, 12 things we learned about how Appleton rum is made, and how she wants you to experience Appleton Estate rums.
Recipe: Joy Spence’s favorite rum cocktail