Video: How to Make A Mai Tai

The Serious Eats crew has been known to cut out of work early for "meetings" at Ward III, the Tribeca bar co-owned by Behind the Bar columnist Michael Neff. We recently spent a whole afternoon there asking Michael about a few of our favorite classic cocktails, and we caught the whole thing on video.—The Mgmt.

[Photographs and Video: Jessica Leibowitz]

It's hot out there, right? Time for a cooling, tropical drink. So we asked New York bartender Michael Neff to show us how to make a few essential cocktails, and to tell us a bit of the story behind each one.

Today we're making a Mai Tai, a delicious combination of rum, fresh lime juice, orgeat, and orange curaçao. According to Michael, it's "the grandfather of all tiki drinks." Come join us for a round—this one's on the house.

We'll have more tips on how to make simple, classic cocktails in the weeks to come. Any requests?

Cool Off with More Cocktails

• Video: How To Make A Dark 'N' Stormy »
• Video: Make The Curly and the Turk at The Tippler in NYC »
• 9 Essential Tiki Drinks »
• Guest Bartender: Kevin Denton Makes The Velvet Jacuzzi »

About the videographer: Jessica Leibowitz is in charge of all things video at Serious Eats. You can follow more of her adventures on her site mycameraeatsfood.com, or on Twitter at @photo_delicious.

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