Tropical Cocktails

Tropical drinks have a reputation for being sugary, and the originals are not. A real Mai Tai is rum, lime, orange curaçao and orgeat, and it is sharp. The sweet version is a later invention built on bottled mixes.

The tradition's actual signature is layering: two or three rums in one glass, each doing a different job, plus more than one citrus and a nutty or spiced syrup underneath. Complexity, not sweetness, is the point.

Crushed ice matters here more than anywhere else. It chills and dilutes fast, which is what keeps a strong drink drinkable, and it is why these are served in tall glasses packed to the top.