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Drink

Mai Tai

A tropical cocktail made with light rum, triple sec, powdered sugar, almond syrup, grenadine, lime juice, crushed ice, and a dash of 151-proof rum.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Mai Tai

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Shake with ice.

  2. Strain into a large glass half full of crushed ice.

  3. Top with a maraschino cherry and a pineapple wedge.

  4. Top with a dash of 151-proof rum for extra kick.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

99Calories
1 gProtein
1 gFat
17 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Rum1/2 oz (15ml)32
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7
Syrupnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,842 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Almond + limetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together258 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Rum + limetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together412 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  4. Rum + sugartop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,908 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Rum + almondtop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together313 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Light rum
Provides the spirit base and the main body of the drink.
Triple sec
Adds orange sweetness and aroma that complement the rum.
Almond syrup (orgeat)
Adds sweetness, body and a nutty almond flavor.
Lime juice
Adds acidity that balances the sweet ingredients.
Grenadine
Adds sweetness, fruity flavor and a red color.

The step that matters

Shake with ice. Shaking with ice chills the drink and dilutes it slightly with meltwater, softening the alcohol and blending the ingredients evenly. Too little shaking leaves the drink warm, harsh and unbalanced.

Swap the lime

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rum, sugar, almond, syrup):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Apricotfits better
  3. Figfits better
  4. Limethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rum, sugar, almond, syrup. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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