At San Diego’s False Idol, head bartender Anthony Schmidt looks to the Mai Tai as a continual source of inspiration for original cocktails. “The drink can be a fun lesson on building recipes,” he says. “An infinite number of liqueurs can be swapped for the curaçao, leading to very different results.” His Mai Sha Roa Na leans on banana liqueur in place of the orange liqueur, and macadamia nut syrup stands in for orgeat.
