The original version, as invented by Victor 'Trader Vic' Bergeron in 1944, is as follows: 1 Fresh Lime, 1 Martinique Rum, 1 Jamaican Rum, 1/2 oz. Orange Curacao, 1/4 oz. Rock Candy syrup, 1/4 oz. Orgeat syrup Squeeze lime over ice, add remaining ingredients with shaved ice. Hand shake & serve in a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a 1/2 of the lime shell & fresh mint sprig Lore has it, the name came about because he served it to some friends from Tahiti, who exclaimed, "Mai Tai, Roa Ae!", which in Tahitian means "Out of this world, the best!" Numerous variants exist: the basic concept is light rum, dark rum and various fruit juices.

Here is a website with many more variants of the recipe plus many more: http://www.webtender.com/

Here is a recipe I use which is really good 1 egg white, lightly beaten* Sugar 1/2 cup white rum 1/4 cup Triple Sec 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 1/4 cup fresh lime juice Crushed ice To decorate: Cocktail cherries Pineapple cubes Orange slices Dip the rim of tall glasses into the egg whites, and then the sugar. Put the rum, Triple Sec, and juices into a cocktail shaker. Shake to mix. Fill the glasses with the ice and pour the cocktail over it. Decorate with cherries, pineapple, and/or orange slices, and drink with a straw. The American Egg Board states: "There have been warnings against consuming raw or lightly cooked eggs on the grounds that the egg may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacteria responsible for a type of foodborne illness. Healthy people need to remember that there is a very small risk and treat eggs and other raw animal foods accordingly. Use only properly refrigerated, clean, sound-shelled, fresh, grade AA or A eggs. Avoid mixing yolks and whites with the shell..."

The Mai tai is a well-known alcoholic cocktail purportedly invented at the Trader Vic restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic's amicable rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it first in 1933 at his own newly opened little bar (later a famous restaurant) in Hollywood. The Beachcomber's recipe is far more complicated than that of the Trader's and tastes quite different. "Maitai" is the Tahitian word for "good." An Internet search for references coupled with the word "rum" shows 40,600 hits for "Maitai" and 38,400 hits for "Mai Tai", so correct usage for this drink can apparently be either one word or two. The Trader Vic story of its invention is that the Trader (Victor J. Bergeron) created it one afternoon for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. One of them tasted it and cried out: "Maitai roa!" ("Very good!") Hence the name. The first three of the following Maitai recipes are provided by Trader Vic's to The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai website. Recipe #1 — The Original Trader Vic Formula - 1944 2 oz of 17-year old J. Wray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice Add juice from one fresh lime 1/2 oz Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao 1/4 oz Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup 1/2 oz French Garnier Orgeat Syrup Shake vigorously. Add a sprig of fresh mint Recipe #2 — "Old Way" Trader Vic Maitai Formula - 1997 1 oz Fine Jamaican rum (15 or 8 year old) 1 oz Martinique rum (St. James) 1/2 ounce Orange Curacao 1/2 ounce Orgeat Syrup Juice from one fresh lime (about 3/4 ounce) Mix and serve as in the Original Formula Recipe #3 — Today's Trader Vic Maitai This recipe is very close to what Trader Vic's restaurants apparently serve. Ingredients: 2 oz light rum 1 oz triple sec 1/2 oz lime juice 1/2 oz Orgeat syrup 1/2 tsp grenadine Garnish: maraschino cherry, pineapple Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass over crushed ice. Garnish with fruits and serve with a straw. Recipe #4 — Don the Beachcomber Maitai This version is much closer to what Don the Beachcomber served in his restaurants. It can be garnished with various fruits, as in the above recipe. Falernum, which is now difficult to obtain in the United States except from a single supplier in Seattle, is a flavored Caribbean syrup with a very different taste from the Orgeat syrup used in the Maitai #1. Ingredients 2 oz (or 1/4 cup) water 3/4 oz or 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 oz or 2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice 1 oz or 2 tablespoons sugar syrup 1 oz or 2 tablespoons dark rum 1-1/2 oz or 3 tablespoons golden rum 1/2 oz or 1 tablespoon Cointreau or triple Sec 1/4 oz or 1/2 tablespoon Falernum syrup 2 dashes or scant 1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters 1 dash or scant 1/4 teaspoon Pernod or other anisette-flavored pastis Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a tall highball glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with fruits and serve with a straw. Recipe #5 — Pineapple Variation Maitai 4 oz orange juice 4 oz pineapple juice 1 oz lime juice 1 oz dark rum 1 oz light rum 1 oz triple sec 1/2 oz grenadine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai_Tai