peach mai tai
Dubbing August Peach Cocktail Month. And why wouldn’t I?
Sometimes, J will run by the grocery store for me after his Thursday evening hangout sesh, which is incredibly helpful if I’ve formed weekend recipe development plans or flubbed something that I want to remake the next day. This time around, I asked him to find some “big peachies” with which to make this drink.
He took this task quite seriously and bought me the biggest fucken peaches ever. I mean, those dudes were as a big as my palm. True mutants. They probably eat other peaches for breakfast.
The Mai Tai is a tiki classic I’ve never made before for FMG, so it was time to get rummy. Usually, this sweet drink is made with a combination of dark and light rums, orgeat (almond syrup), and orange curacao. One of those sips meant for folks who don’t necessarily want to taste all the booze, but get a good wallop of the stuff.
Aside from the addition of the fresh peach puree, we twist up the typical formula by swapping orgeat for amaretto, dark rum for spiced, and curacao for Cointreau. A splash of lime lends a citrusy snip to each sip.
Since I just told you how to make it, basically, I don’t have to say much more. But I will anyway.
It’s Mai Tai, Not Your Tai
Spiced rum pairs really nicely with peach, so I used a splash of that instead of dark rum. Gives the drink a little bourbon-like flavor sans spoiling the mai tai integrity. I’m a Bourbon Bro, after all, thus it only makes sense I try to infuse its essence wherever I can.
You can shake or stir this cocktail. Either method is peachy. I usually like shaking since so many flavor components go into this particular guy, and I would hate for one or another to simply sit at the bottom of the glass, forgotten and overpowered. A very sad fate for a very fine spirit.
For the peach puree, you can use canned or fresh. Canned peaches will yield more puree, helpful if you have multiple drinks to serve, and requires no peeling. If you’re just making one or two bevs, a fresh pitted peach is always nice. If you leave the peel intact, strain out the puree once the mixture is smooth to remove any chunks of sinew.
Chunks of sinew is a fairly unpleasant descriptor. Ew.
Then, mix up some of the peach juice with your spiced and regular rums, Cointreau, lime juice, and a splash of amaretto. If you need a little more sweetness, tip in a little simple syrup, but I didn’t need any myself. Throw in some ice and shakey shake.
Pour into your favorite glass, and top off with sparkling water or ginger beer if you’d like. I always enjoy a bit of fizzy wizzy at the cap. Finish with some fresh peach slices, and mint or thyme sprigs (thyme just looks purdy).
Kick back and enjoy! No driving, though. Mom says so.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Just fucken peachy:
peach mai tai
Ingredients
- 1 large peach, pit removed
- 1 oz spiced rum
- 1 oz rum
- 1/2 oz Cointreau (orange liqueur)
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1/4 oz amaretto
- 1/2-1 oz simple syrup (optional)
- sparkling water or ginger beer, to top
- peach slices and thyme sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
- In a food processor, puree the peach until smooth. Strain out the skins with a fine-mesh sieve. Depending on the size of your peach, you may have enough for up to 2 drinks.
- In a shaker, combine the rums, 2 oz of peach juice, Cointreau, lime juice, amaretto, and simple syrup (if using). Fill with ice and shake until cold. Pour into a glass and top with either ginger beer or sparkling water. Garnish with peach slices and thyme sprigs.
