Last night was cold and rainy. Everything about the weather made me want to get away to a warm, tropical place. Luckily for me, that’s usually as easy as walking over to my “whiskey library”, aka my big IKEA bookshelf filled with booze, and creating a cocktail reminiscent of a warmer locale.

Nothing says tropical to me like a tiki drink, and the Mai Tai is one of my all-time faves. The story behind the name of the drink states that Trader Vic, the drink’s inventor, created it one afternoon for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. One of those friends tasted it and exclaimed, “Maita’i roa ae!” (meaning “out of this world!”, figuratively). I wanted to do a whisky-focused take on it so I needed to find a whisky with some of those rich, fruity flavors that many fine Caribbean rums have. It was an easy choice to use Brenne, a French Single Malt Whisky. Thus the name of my drink is a French translation of the phrase “Out of this world!”.

As I mentioned, Brenne is a French Single Malt Whisky. It is all estate grown barley which is harvested, distilled, matured, and bottled in Cognac, France. It is distinctly fruit-forward and very unique. The aromas of Brenne are lush and complex. I get banana and banana bread pretty heavily on the nose, with some apricot and candied citrus as well. The taste is a bit deceptive. Since the smell is so sweet, you might expect the whisky to be as well, but it’s not, in a good way. The whisky starts off quite creamy with notes of orange and apricot. The finish is light and very smooth with some hints of spice from the barley. It is a whisky completely in it’s own class, beautiful, refined and one worth investigating if you get the chance. For those in the Astoria neighborhood, Absolute Wine & Spirits carries it. Pick a bottle up, you won’t be disappointed!

With all that complexity in the whisky, I wanted a rum that was equally beautiful and smooth to compliment it in the cocktail so I used the El Dorado 12, a Demerara rum from Guyana. The Mai Tai is typically made with aged, dark rum or a combination of dark and gold rums, so I wanted to incorporate a small portion of the rum to keep with tradition while adding the luscious whisky notes of Brenne. I think the balance worked out nicely and this is a drink I will come back to again and again. I hope you’ll enjoy it whenever you feel the need to have a little warm weather pick-me-up this winter.

Cheers!

Extra-Ordinaire

1 1/2 oz Brenne French Single Malt Whisky

1 oz Lime Juice

1/2 oz El Dorado 12 Yr Rum

1/2 oz  Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

1/2 oz Orgeat (make your own here, or buy some online here)

1 bar spoon Simple Syrup

1 dash Vanilla Extract

Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

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