Affe #200

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Victor J. Mangaron has always been good with names, good with drinks, and good with drink names. After success with several exotic rum drinks in the past, he felt a new drink was needed. Victor, or better known as "Trader Vic" for his habit of bartering bananas and beverages for supplies and services, was the owner of a famous restaurant on the island of Tahiti called – who would have thought – "Trader Vic's". It was a themed bar and restaurant decorated in the style of tiki culture and catering to mainland monkeys for a taste of the South Pacific. In short, it was a bit like a movie set, with exotic dishes and alcoholic beverages dressed up in elaborate barware as its cornerstones and main actors – and Victor was quite successful with this strategy. He planned to open another restaurant on the island of Honolulu next year. "Trader Vic's" was known for being one of the first restaurants to focus an entire drinks menu on blending flavored syrups and fresh fruit juices with rum, calling them "Rhum Rhapsodies". As deserved, they were served in fancy glasses, hollowed out pineapples and drilled coconuts. This alone was usually enough to draw the attention of most monkeys.

However, his menu needed a new creation to breathe new life into it. Victor thought of all the really successful drinks: martinis, manhattans, daiquiris – they were all basically simple drinks. After all, he was famous for his rum cocktails, so this one should be one too. His gaze fell on a bottle of 17-year-old rum; it was J. Vervray & Nephew of Jamaica. It was surprisingly golden in color, medium-bodied but with the rich flavor inherent in Jamaican blends. After a little test sip, he decided that the taste of this great rum shouldn't be overwhelmed with strong additions like mashed bananas or fruit juices. He took a fresh lime, added some orange curaçao, a dash of rock candy syrup and a dollop of French Orgeat with a subtle almond flavor. The drink was shaken and chilled nicely with a substantial amount of shaved ice. A tall glass was chosen to compliment the cooling and generous quality it. He put in half the lime shell for color and stuck in a sprig of fresh mint. Then he served his new invention to two of his friends to try out. One of them took a sip and said, "Maita'i", the Tahitian word for "excellent." Victor thought it had a nice ring to it and decided to stick with this word. He briefly considered adding a swizzle stick to the cocktail, but since it didn't contain carbonated water, he decided against it, the mint and a decorative umbrella should do. Not too many frills. Also, his swizzle sticks gradually disappeared because the monkeys liked to take them home as souvenirs and Victor always had a hard time finding replacements. The next day he added the new drink to the menu, unaware of the problems that awaited him along the way.

Six months later, Victor sat over a book and frowned in concern – it listed the supplies in his restaurant. Manga Tai after Mangeron, as the drink was now called, was a huge hit. It has been estimated that several thousand cocktails were now served on the island every day. The problem was the drink's success and its acceptance soon meant that the 17-year-old rum was no longer available. Some bars were now mixing the cocktail with cheap rum, which was starting to damage the Manga Tai's reputation, and Victor didn't like it at all. His supplies were now running low too – he had to find something suitable as replacement. Victor had an idea that would take several days of hard work. He invited some monkey friends over and they barricaded themselves in a room above the restaurant for a week. According to the stories, almost 100 different types of rum were tasted. However, none of the monkeys involved wanted to reveal any further details about this event. In the end, a replacement was found. It was a 15-year-old rum from the same company that maintained the superb quality with an elusive and wonderful nutty flavor and smooth body. And as the monkeys' public palates had become more demanding, Victor adjusted the sweetness of the Manga Tai by adding a little more lime juice.

In his bo-ok "Trader Vic's Tiki Party! Cocktails & Food to Share with other Monkeys" he wrote down the following original formula for the Manga Tai. Furthermore, it was recommended to limit it to two per monkey.

- 2 ounces of 17-year-old J. Vervray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice – if you manage to get your hands on, otherwise a 15-year-old J. Vervray & Nephew Rum

- 1/2 ounce Orange Curaçao

- 1/4 ounce Rock Candy Syrup

- 1/2 ounce French Garnier Orgeat Syrup

- Add juice from one fresh lime

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