Martin Cate, owner of the tiki bar Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, believes that the mai tai has been disgraced in bars and tropical destinations for far too long, and that the cocktail needs to return to its roots: the original formula invented by the Godfather of the Tiki Bar, Trader Vic.  A true mai tai contains premium aged rum, orange curaçao, rock candy syrup, fresh lime juice, an almond syrup called orgeat, and a sprig of mint. You won’t find any grenadine or pineapple juice in this drink, lest you want Vic to turn over in his grave.