For brunch, make it a Mai Tai

CHAMPAGNE BRUNCHES |are no longer the most exotic way to rouse the tummy after lingering in bed on the weekends. Trader Vic’s is now giving mid-day Sundays a breezy shift in course with its Mai Tai Brunches. 

Resident mixologist Ron Ramirez, a Filipino with a gift for rendering appropriate cocktails for any hour, has had a Mai Tai Fountain set up in the entry hall since last month, offering both traditional and very modern versions. 

Along with the classic Mai Tai, you can order a 24-hour Cold Infused Mai Tai made with peppermint, wild berries and Earl Grey tea; a Twisted Mai Tai accompanied by a Margarita; a Blue Hawaii; a Mojito; and a Pina Colada. 

But not to be missed is the Aged Mai Tai, mixed a week in advance in a barrel of Polynesian oak so it’s absorbed the wood’s natural scents.

In its simplest form, the Mai Tai is a thorough shake of dark and white rum, orange Curacao liquor, simple or orgeat syrup and lime juice, strained into a glass of crushed ice and garnished with mint leaves. But there can be so much more.

If a Mai Tai evokes only thoughts of giddy attempts at hula dancing, have some respect, because the cocktail is almost |certainly older than you are. Notwithstanding a rival claim by Don the Beachcomber, a popular Hollywood bar, the drink was |conceived in 1944 at the original Trader Vic’s in Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco. 

Founder Victor Bergeron – who really had been a trader before cashing in on the whole Polynesian tiki fad sweeping America during the Pacific war – created it for friends visiting from Tahiti. Their immediate verdict: “Maita’i roa ae!” That means “Aroi!” in Tahitian, and the new drink had a name. 

Straw hats, grass skirts and seashell necklaces are not required for the enjoyment of a Mai Tai, despite its invariable association with the South Pacific islands. Obviously you don’t even need to be sitting on a beach, although that does help. (Everything is better when you’re sitting on a beach.)

In fact the Mai Tai is a very amendable beverage. It can even be paired with many foods, especially grilled meat and seafood, but also cheese as well, as Trader Vic discovered with his tasty little deep-fried cheese puffs. 

The fudgy-sweet rum complements even spicy seared meat, while the Curacao’s bright citrus tang cuts the meat’s greasiness and amplifies the seafood’s natural sweetness. The mint cleanses the palate and whets the appetite for what comes next.

Rum, Curacao and lime are fundamental to the Pina Colada, Margarita, Blue Hawaii and Mojito as well, so there’s little variation in taste and thus the dining experience is seamless regardless of your choice. Ramirez’s genius is to subtly play around within these ingredients in creating alternative Mai Tais that can keep you amused all afternoon.

You might well be impressed enough to head to the bar after brunch to learn directly from Ramirez how to make the 1944 original. Your reward will be an extra drink – and a lovely certificate of achievement.

 

 

>>The Mai Tai Sunday Brunch is served every week from 11.30am to 3pm at Trader Vic’s at the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa. It costs Bt1,999.

>>Through September, Thailand residents (both nationals and expatriates) can enjoy the brunch after spending the |previous night in a Deluxe Premier Room or Junior Premier Suite. With other perks, that costs Bt4,950.

>>Find out more at |(02) 476 0022, extension 1416, or www.BangkokRiverDining.com.