A beloved bar and restaurant in Birmingham has received national acclaim for its version of a classic cocktail: the Mai Tai.

Punch, a publication devoted to spirits and drinking culture, asked nine bartenders from around the country to submit recipes for their renditions of the Mai Tai, a classic cocktail crafted from four base ingredients: rum, lime juice, orgeat syrup and Curaçao orange liqueur.

Josh Schaff, the general manager of Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant in Birmingham, received second place for his version of the cocktail (Schaff was in good company with spirits luminaries from around the country. First and third place went to two esteemed New York bartenders: Garret Richard of Sunken Harbor Club and Will Pasternak, who crafted beverages behind the sticks at the former Blacktail cocktail bar).

The base of Schaff’s recipe for the Mai Tai is an ounce of Appleton Signature rum, plus a half-ounce each of Planteray and Myers’s rum. The recipe also calls for Cayo Coco’s house orgeat (a blend of almond milk with sugar, orange flower water and rose water), Demerara syrup and Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao.

“The judges found it bright, with a pleasant candied orange quality, and not too dry. The rum blend was mellow, prompting McGee to dub it “a Mai Tai for the people,”” Punch wrote in its review of the recipe.

Cayo Coco celebrated the honor with a post on its Facebook page.

“This Mai Tai has had a journey—from being inspired by vintage cocktail books to winning First Place at Alabama Rum Fest, and now being recognized by one of the most respected voices in drinks media.”

The accolade comes on the heels of another huge honor for the beverage and restaurant industry in Birmingham.

Earlier this year, Jose Medina Camacho, the co-founder and beverage director of Adiõs cocktail bar in downtown Birmingham, was named a finalist for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service at the 2025 James Beard Foundation Awards.

While Camacho ultimately didn’t take home the award in June, it didn’t stop friends, patrons, and culinary professionals from celebrating him as a “powerhouse” spirits innovator and representative for Alabama’s restaurant scene. Schaff, a longtime peer of Camacho, joined fellow restaurateurs in singing his praises, calling Camacho “an inspiring voice for hospitality” in the state.

Restaurant veteran Andrew Collins and Schaff opened Cayo Coco in 2019. Named after the island off central Cuba, the bar pays homage to pre-revolution high life, a period when tourism was taking off and Cuba’s capital city was a playground for socialites and celebrities.