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The Coral Reef Mai Tai

Food and Drink

The Coral Reef restaurant was located on Fulton Avenue in Sacramento, Ca. It was an icon, and it's signature Mai Tai was legendary. The Coral Reef Mai Tai does not resemble the typical Mai Tai found on the Hawaiian Islands. It was more greenish in color, and the floater was did not have the strong burnt caramel flavor of Myers's dark rum found on many Hawaiian versions.

Coral Reef Mai Tai

I have it on good authority this is the genuine Coral Reef Mai Tai recipe from the locally famous Sacramento establishment. No guarantees tho. This is exactly as handwritten on a note pad.

16 ounce glass filled ½ to ¾ with crushed ice.

2 jiggers of White Rum

1 jigger Orange Curacao

2 jiggers Sweet and Sour

¼ to ½ jigger lemon juice (Source also said Lime Juice could be used)

¼ jigger Orgeat syrup (or Agave?)

Method:

Mix and pour over ice.

Lay orange or pineapple slice on top

Float 1 jigger of 100 or 150 proof Dark Rum

Note: The source did mention Appleton’s dark rum, and I believe this was used. Since I was fortunate to have consumed many Coral Reef Mai Tai’s in the 1970’s and 1980’s, I can all but guarantee it was not Myers’s Dark Rum.

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Another recipe on the web. Credit: Teri Mena, Sacramento Bee. Teri Mena stated this was given to her by George Chew, former Bar Manager at the Coral Reef.

1 ounce light rum

2 ounces sweet and sour

1 ounce lemon juice

1 ounce Orgeat syrup

1 ounce Orange Curacao

Squeeze of lime

Crushed ice

1 ounce 97 proof Appleton’s Jamaican rum

1 canned pineapple ring.

1 Maraschino cherry

Method: In a double old fashioned glass, build drink by layering light rum, sweet and sour, lemon juice, curacao, orgeat and lime juice. Stir. Pack with crushed ice. Float Appleton’s dark rum; place pineapple ring on top with cherry in the center.