The Real Trader Vics Style Mai Tai... (Not The Sweet, Red, Fruity Kind)

[yeeowww]

Just discovered a little bar in the Kalare Night Bazaar who has found out how to make & is now serving the original 1944 recipe Mai Tai, by Trader Vics, the originators of this wonderful concoction! I've avoided over the years any of the sickly sweet bastardized "<deleted>-<deleted>" versions which are mixed with pineapple & orange juice & grenadine. These original version babies at the Orion Bar are made true to form with the 2 types of light & dark rum, fresh lime, orange curacao and the magic ingredient of "orgeat, which is a simple almond syrup from France! If you've ever had a Mai Tai in Hawaii or at Trader Vics then you know what I'm talking about. For those interested in indulging in a genuinely great Mai Tai, check out the Orion Bar, located in the back area of Kalare Night Bazaar, next to Sila-Aht Restaurant. They also make a killer Mojito, have a pool table and the owner gal Benz is a real hoot and a kick in the pants... Orion Bar is usually open reeeealy late to boot! Enjoy!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Price?

( If good deals are to be had I'll step by your place when in the area. )

[Thighlander]

Not a mai-tai, but this looked great, at a fair price. Nimman.....

[yeeowww]

Price?

( If good deals are to be had I'll step by your place when in the area. )

Cocktails at Orion Bar are listed at 100 Baht, neither a heavy nor whimpy pour. But the main thing is that most all of Orion's mixed drinks are pretty good & the staff, like many Thais, have great personality. As I said before, I really like the Mojitos here and now the Trader Vics style Mai Tais have got me hooked. It's not my place, but (along with around a dozen others around town) a place I like to hang out when all the others have closed at 1 or 2 a.m. or I just get the urge to go there for a good 100 Baht drink & play pool. Locals & shop owners from Kalare Night Bazaar hang and drink into what has evolved into a new stretch of casual drinkin' bars, not the "girlie" types as on Loi Kroh. It's a great mix of people & a fun hang. If things are busy, on any given night any of the around half dozen or so bars will stay open into the late, late night. Check it out.

[Thighlander]

http://www.tradervics.com/_locations/_cities/_Bangkok.html Trader Vics bottles their own mixers and sells them retail. Not sure about LOS, but they have a location in BKK. I used to live by the original in Emeryville, CA.

[elektrified]

I used to be a big fan of the Trader Vics in Beverly Hills, California. Left there a few times over the years and the next morning had zero recollection of how I got home. The Scorpion, The Zombie, Rum Bowl were great as well as the Mai Thai.

Also been to the one in Munich a few times.

The problem was if you went there on a date, you could not remember what, if anything, happened after you got home!

[yeeowww]

http://www.tradervics.com/_locations/_cities/_Bangkok.html Trader Vics bottles their own mixers and sells them retail. Not sure about LOS, but they have a location in BKK. I used to live by the original in Emeryville, CA.

Yep, I've had family/friends bring over bottles of the mix in the past & while a bit tart (and not really true to the flavors of the real deal), it's passable in a pinch... but nothing beats a chilly cold, freshly shaken Trader Vics style Mai Tai made with fresh ingredients! I've never been to the original location in Emeryville even though I too lived in California, but those are indeed the very grounds where the drink was originally concocted back in 1944!

[yeeowww]

I used to be a big fan of the Trader Vics in Beverly Hills, California. Left there a few times over the years and the next morning had zero recollection of how I got home. The Scorpion, The Zombie, Rum Bowl were great as well as the Mai Thai.

Also been to the one in Munich a few times.

The problem was if you went there on a date, you could not remember what, if anything, happened after you got home!

Hah! That very one in Bev Hills is where I had a surprise 21st birthday party thrown for me by my girlfriend and around 20 friends, back in 1978. What a way to start my legal drinking age... I'll never forget it! Great memories. : )