Trader Vic's Royal Amber Rum
80 proof (40% ABV) | 750mL (verify) | Blended for the Mai Tai — Trader Vic's Royal Amber is the proprietary rum blended specifically for the world-famous Mai Tai — the house rum poured at Trader Vic's locations worldwide, and the one tiki authorities specify for an authentic Trader Vic's Mai Tai. The label reads: "Original Trader Vic's Royal Amber Rum — Exclusive blended for the world famous Mai Tai."
Victor J. Bergeron — "Trader Vic" — invented the Mai Tai in 1944 at his Oakland restaurant, and Royal Amber is the rum the drink was built around: a dark/amber blended rum with a sweet molasses and dark rum scent, unfolding into molasses and caramel on the palate. The Emeryville flagship at 9 Anchor Drive, "Home of the Original Mai Tai," has stood since 1972. For tiki purists, this is the bottle that makes a Mai Tai legitimate — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
Tasting notes
Per the brand (tradervicsrum.com): nose — "a sweet molasses and dark rum scent." Palate — "molasses, caramel, and ruminate on the palate." Tiki-community consensus: the only Trader Vic's bottled rum worth drinking neat or in cocktails.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- The Mai Tai rum — blended specifically for the original 1944 recipe
- 80 proof — the house pour at Trader Vic's worldwide
- Tiki-culture icon from the brand that invented the genre's most famous drink
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
In a Trader Vic's Mai Tai: 2 oz Royal Amber, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz orange curaçao, 1/4 oz orgeat, 1/4 oz rock candy syrup — shaken, over crushed ice, mint sprig.
Frequently asked questions
Is Royal Amber the rum used in a real Trader Vic's Mai Tai?
Yes — it's the proprietary rum Trader Vic's blends specifically for the Mai Tai and pours at its restaurant locations.
What proof is it and what size is the bottle?
80 proof (40% ABV). The standard retail bottle is 750mL, though the Emeryville restaurant also sells a 1-liter to-go bottle — confirm size on the listing.
Who was Trader Vic?
Victor J. Bergeron, who founded the restaurant as Hinky Dink's in Oakland in 1934, created the tiki concept in 1937, and invented the Mai Tai in 1944.