The Mai Tai was invented by Victor Bergeron and named after Tahitian friends who reportedly exclaimed “Mai Tai-Roa Ae.”
Bergeron, known as Trader Vic, said he created the drink at his Oakland restaurant in 1944. The original recipe used Jamaican rum, Martinique rum, lime juice, orange curaçao, orgeat syrup and sugar syrup. Its name is commonly translated from Tahitian as “out of this world” or “the best.”
The Mai Tai is often mistaken for a generic tropical punch. Early versions were relatively dry and rum-forward, while later restaurant and resort versions often added fruit juices and colorful garnishes. Those adaptations helped spread the drink but can obscure its original structure.
Trader Vic’s account is central to the cocktail’s history, although Donn Beach also developed influential Polynesian-style rum drinks. The Mai Tai remains one of the defining drinks of mid-century American tiki culture.