Matt Robold - Maker of a killer Mai Tai

July 24, 7:31 AMDallas Cocktails ExaminerJim Walker

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While trying to come up with an idea for a subject to write about, I came up with an idea to promote great cocktails and some great people I have met over the years in the liquor industry. I will be running On-Line interviews with some of these people.
I started with my friend Matt Robold, well because it is Rum Month here at Examiner and he got his interview back to me first, So off we go…

Matt Robold is an Orange County, California-based rum connoisseur and cocktail enthusiast that enjoys writing about his passions on his blog RumDood.com.
Matt is an avid collector of rums, with over 120 in his home bar, as well as a staunch advocate of the spirit. He has served as a judge in a number of the Ministry of Rum's Tasting Competitions.
In addition to writing his own blog, Matt contributes to the Mixoloseum blog (a group blog run by a collective of cocktail and spirits writers) and TalesBlog (the official blog for Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans) and sits on the board of the Cocktails and Spirits Online Writers Group, a collection of cocktail and spirits bloggers and writers dedicated to spreading the gospel of good drinking. Additionally Matt is part of the Rum Expert Panel put together by the Burrs at Gifted Rums.

1) What got you started or interested in the liquor industry? (Bar Tender, Parents, Crush on Audrey Saunders, Just Like Booze, Ect...)

I’ve always been someone that enjoys social drinking, but I think my passion really got started with a single taste of really good rum. I tried Admiral Rodney while I was in St. Lucia in 2005 and my entire world changed. Instead of drinking spiced rum from the well mixed with coke I was out there buying every new aged rum I could find. Next think I knew I was buying whiskeys, gins, tequilas and everything else as well.

2) What is your favorite cocktail?

Tough to choose a favorite, it changes with my mood. Based on my current fascination with the drink though, I should probably just say that the Mai Tai is at the top of the list more often than any other.

The Mai Tai

1 oz Jamaican Rum
1 oz Rhum Agricole Vieux
.5 oz Orange Curacao
.5 oz Orgeat
.75 oz Lime Juice
.25 oz Simple Syrup

Mix all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a glass over crushed ice and garnish with a lime shell and a sprig of mint.

3) What are some of your favorite haunts?

I generally do my bar drinking at places like Seven Grand or The Varnish in Downtown LA. If I’m looking for a good tiki drink, there aren’t many places in the country that can really compete with Tiki Ti in Hollywood.

4) If you were on a desert island, what 3 ingredients could you not live without?

Rum, lime, sugar…unless we’re counting ice as an ingredient. Is there ice? Please tell me there’s ice.

5) Martini - Shaken or Stirred?

Stirred. And with gin, not vodka. And there better be some freaking vermouth and orange bitters in there. I also prefer the lemon twist to the onion or olive.

Many Thanks to Matt for taking the time out of his busy schedule to give us a glimpse into his world. Also many Thanks to all the readers out there. So for now...Cheers & Keep on Shakin'