Probably the most famous of all tiki-tropical drinks. The classic is a very simple and delicious drink, created by Vic Bergeron of Trader Vic's in 1944 in Oakland, California. The story goes that Vic created this rum drink for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. Upon tasting it, one of his friends exclaimed, Maita'i roa ae! which means Very good of the very best! Thus Vic named the drink the Mai Tai. Unfortunately, many restaurants and bars across the country have taken a number of liberties with the recipe, making drinks that are pale replicas of the original.