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Recipes

Canlis has created hundreds of recipes over the years.

Of all the recipes requested, none is more cherished than the Canlis Salad. Taught to him by his Lebanese mother, the Canlis salad was perfected by Peter Canlis and introduced to the world on opening night, December 11, 1950. Served in homes and restaurants around the world, the recipe, as it appears below, has never been altered from its original form.

For hints on how to make the salad taste just like it does in the restaurant, email us at canlis@canlis.com.
Canlis Mai Tai

(by James MacWilliams, Head Barman)

Ingredients:


1 Oz Bacardi Superior
1 Oz Appleton 12yr
½ Oz Housemade Orgeat
½ Oz Orange Curacao

Method:



Shake with ice and pour into long drink glass. Garnish with mint sprig wrapped in an orange peel.

Bartender's Notes: The original Trader Vic's recipe uses different rum: Wray & Nephew 17 yr. rum, which is no longer available. The Merchant Hotel in Belfast has the last remaining bottle and sells it in a $1500 Mai Tai. We use our rums in tandem to get close and still taste right for the modern palette. Neisson Blanc Rhum Agricole is actually a better fit than Bacardi. Agricole rhums have a slightly earthy, chalky quality and are more aromatic -- some of which is detected in Wray and Nephew rums. Tasting them side by side is a fun way to see what a large impact such a small change can make on the final product. The original recipe also calls for rock candy or simple syrup, but I omit these because I make the orgeat a little sweeter to compensate. Vic used Garnier Orgeat which is still around but apparently not as high quality as it used to be. Our brand of Orange Curacao is different as well but that appears to makes little difference in the final results of the cocktail. The only other difference is the ice. In 1944 Vic used crushed ice. I feel our ice is small enough to make the drink really cold and not over dilute it the cocktail. Larger cubes will not work. Not everyone drinks at the same speed. Drinks with crushed ice are made for hot climates to go down fast!