ROUND SIX: My Mai Tai

Jamie suggested the next round involve an adult beverage, so here we are. I've had exactly one mai tai in my life, this spring at the Polynesian Resort in Disney World. It was bright fuchsia and chunks of fruit at the bottom of the glass and really hit the spot after a day of schlepping around the theme parks. My version came out a little different. I started with a recipe from "Cocktails" by James Butler and Vicky Liley, but their recipe went off the rails pretty quickly. So here's my version of a Mai Tai:

1 1/2 oz light rum
1/2 oz triple sec
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
juice of half a lime
1/2 oz almond simple syrup (B&L's recipe called for "orgeat syrup" and I had no idea what that was - I looked it up and it's an almond-flavored syrup, so I made some: recipe below)
dash of Angostura bitters (found some at Publix near cocktail mixers in the wine section)

Add everything to a shaker of ice and shake (but not like a jerk, Susan). Strain into a glass of ice and enjoy!

Almond simple syrup:

1/2 C water
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t almond extract

Microwave water until boiling and add sugar. Stir until no longer cloudy and the sugar has dissolved. Add almond extract and stir. This stuff smells incredible as is. I would wear almond extract as perfume, but I digress...

I suppose you could add a dash of grenadine/pomegranate syrup for that pretty fuchsia color, but the pineapple juice color was fine with me.

Okay, girls, go make lovely drinks with rum and fruit juice. Meanwhile, I will be hunting for some little paper umbrellas...