Author: Kevin Crossman

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Small Hand Cocktails Mai Tai

Craft cocktail syrup company Small Hand Foods is entering the bottled cocktail market as Small Hand Cocktails and I gave their Mai Tai a try. The cocktail is made with Hamilton Rum, orange liqueur and of course Small Hand’s orgeat. The bottle is 25% ABV so this compares well to a freshly made cocktail.

Regular readers know that I’m not a fan of Small Hand’s orgeat, which to me has an unusually strong taste that doesn’t taste “almond-y”. Even though I know it is very popular with others and is used at cocktail programs in many bars.

Needless to say, you’ll have a better experience with this ready to drink Mai Tai if you’re a fan of their orgeat, but even I must admit this is a great bottled Mai Tai. The rum flavors do work so well with the rest of the ingredients and the mouthfeel is the same as with a freshly prepared scratch Mai Tai. Definitely worth seeking out.

This bottled Mai Tai compares well to other premium RTD Mai Tais, such as market leader On the Rocks. You could serve this to a cocktail enthusiast and they’d hardly notice the difference. These cocktails are available at Good Eggs and some Total Wine locations, plus discerning liquor stores. The 200ml bottle is around $11 and serves two-ish cocktails.

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Kuleana Rum Works Hōkūlei

The latest blended rum release for Kuleana Rum Works will appeal to those who love barrel notes in their rum. This rum combines distillate from six countries, including a unique aged version of Kuleana’s Hawaiian Rum Agricole. Issued at 46% ABV, this is reminiscent of quality Barbados rums but with a slightly lighter overall character. No added colors, flavors, or sweeteners.

As noted there is a complex and interesting set of seven rums in this bottle:

  • Base rums: Molasses rums from Panama, Nicaragua, Barbados, and Venezuela and aged 2-3, 3-8, 5-8, and 8 years respectively.

  • Body rums: Kuleana’s Hawaiian Rum Agricole made from sugar cane juice and aged 18 months in Cognac barrels, plus a 15 year molasses-based rum from Barbados.

  • Accent rum: Molasses-based rum from Trinidad, aged 18 years.

I can’t say that the Hawaiian Rum Agricole hits me over the head, and honestly I’d love to try some of that just by itself. But overall, Hōkūlei is a really great sipping rum with great spice and oak notes.

In a Mai Tai, Hōkūlei doesn’t really punch through in the assertive way that Kuleana’s Hawaiian Rum Agricole does, though there’s plenty of general rummy flavor. On the other hand, this rum shines in a Daiquiri where you can taste those same spice and oak flavors alongside the brightness of the lime and sugar.

Hōkūlei retails for around $70-80 and is just coming to market this year. You can order from Kuleana’s website as well.

The bottle was provided by Kuleana but this is not a sponsored post.

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Recipe: Blue Hawaii (Modified)

Went out to dinner last night in the Bay Area suburbs. Lazy Dog Restaurant has a “Blue Hawaiian” on the menu that’s pretty close to Harry Yee’s original blue cocktail. Pineapple, Sweet & Sour, Rum, Vodka – and OJ. It came out really green but the taste was just fine.

At home I made one with a modified recipe that was even better.

Blue Hawaii (Modified)
½ oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Pineapple Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Blue Curacao
1½ oz White Rum Blend
Shake with crushed ice.

My white rum blend is made from almost empty bottles of Denizen 3, Wray & Nephew Overproof, Myers’s White, and Three Rolls Estate. So a bit more flavorful than your standard Puerto Rican White. And way better than Vodka.

I used Giffard Blue Curacao. For this drink, I think adding another half ounce of Blue Curacao for a float would look nicer and add a bit more sweetness to the cocktail.

Note that Harry Lee celebrated his 104th birthday this week. You can read an essay about Yee from Hawaiian journalist Rick Carrol, circa late 1990s, on this website.

“Blue Hawaiian” from Lazy Dog
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Kunia Cooler at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Look at this amazing cocktail that won the cocktail competition at Mai Tai Day and is now on the menu at Trader Vic’s Emeryville for the month of September. Created by Marisa Miller, the cocktail is a blend of flavors including orange and coconut and features Kō Hana Rum. Garnished with toasted coconut and a sliced passionfruit, so cool and tasty. Mrs. Mai Tai had the Vic and Dotty. She’s a sucker for cherries.

Lunch was great on Sunday and Mrs Mai Tai has been getting me into the Cheese Bings: “Nutmeg seasoned béchamel with Gruyére cheese & smoked ham, rolled in a crepe. Finished in a crispy panko crust.” So good. I enjoyed the salmon sliders as well. Mrs. Mai Tai’s Kapiki Pepe salad was quite picturesque and tasty.

Cheese Bings

Very relaxed at Trader Vic’s on a Sunday at opening, though the dining room was pretty full by the time we left.

Vic and Dotty
Kapiki Pepe salad
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Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale

Fun times yesterday at the annual Parking Lot Sale at Forbidden Island. The scope of this year’s event held Saturday and Sunday was a bit more modest, with about half the vendors of pre-COVID events. We attended Sunday which everyone agrees was more relaxed than Saturday. There were some great Hawaiian and exotica tunes being played by DJ Otto.

The sale featured a nice set of vendors in any case and we had a nice time socializing with friends and familiar faces. Forbidden Island had a limited cocktail menu for those who had reservations, but there was still plenty to choose from. I had the delicious Port Light. Parking Lot Sale shoppers (those without reservations) could get walk-up cocktails at the Ku Bar out on the patio and find seating in exterior barrel top tables.

We’d be remiss by not mentioning some amazing fashion accessories pictured. First, Mrs. Mai Tai’s bright pineapple earrings. And Brenda’s seasonally appropriate and jealousy-inducing toad handbag from Windy Willow.

It is always appreciated that Forbidden Island is open during the afternoon on the weekends. A great time to go for the patio, or indoors for the traditional tiki bar experience.

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Kuleana Rum Works Huihui and Nanea

Huihui and Nanea from Kuleana Rum Works are blended rums made from distillate mostly sourced outside Hawai’i. These are semi-premium ($30-40) rums and are a best fit in cocktails.

Nanea is blend of column still molasses-based rums, aged between 2-4 years in ex-Bourbon barrels, giving this a completely different flavor profile that Kuleana’s signature Hawaiian Rum Agricole. The base rum is from Guatemala and aged two years. The “body” rum is from Guadeloupe and aged three years. The “accent” rum is from El Salvador and aged for four years. This is a very pleasant rum to sip, and the 43% ABV gives this a little extra flavor to savor. The column stills give this a light body featuring spice notes.

Huihui is a similar blend of three rums, all unaged and issued at 40% ABV. The base rum molasses-based rum from Papua New Guinea, with the “accent” rum being cane-juice based rhum from Martinique. The “body” rum is Kuleana’s own Hawaiian Rum Agricole, but Kuleana does not break down the percentages.

I’d had Huihui before and rated it 4/5 stars on my Forbidden Island Kill Devil Club rum list, but honestly this didn’t resonate with me as much this time. I think the grassy notes from the Martinique rum are a bit overpowering, even with this just being an accent. Moreover, it sort of overshadows the Hawaiian Rum Agricole that I find much more pleasant. It didn’t work for me in a daiquiri, either. Nice to see some of Kuleana’s own product in the blend, though. 

Tasting these rums in a Mai Tai it should not surprise anyone that the aged Nanea is a better fit than the Huihui. Even with a lighter body, the vanilla and spice notes from Nanea do work well in a Mai Tai that I totally enjoyed. I’d expect Nanea would work very well in any cocktail calling for a gold rum generally or something like a Barbados rum specifically.

The bottles were provided by Kuleana but this is not a sponsored post.

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Kuleana Rum Works Hawaiian Rum Agricole

The production of rum made from native Hawaiian sugar cane has been growing over the past decade. Whereas O’ahu’s KōHana is experimenting with a variety of cane varietals and release types, Kuleana Rum Works on the island of Hawai’i is taking a different approach.

Kuleana’s seminal product is Hawaiian Rum Agricole, a 40% ABV unaged rum made from sugar cane juice produced on the Big Island and distilled in a copper pot still. There are noticeable savory flavors common to other cane juice-based rums, but this product doesn’t have the “grassy” overtones that are sometimes objectionable to consumers and to this author. I taste a mix of green apple, olive, and banana flavors. It’s a crisp rum that works great in a glass by itself, but the bold flavors are superb in cocktails like the Mai Tai too.

This is a blended product designed to have a consistent taste over time, so there aren’t any specs on the specific blend of cane varietals or a harvest date. You can expect bottles you purchase in the future to taste similar. Kuleana products are available in many states including Total Wine locations, and available directly from Kuleana’s website. Hawaiian Rum Agricole run around $50-65 per 750 ml bottle.

Kuleana’s other rum products include distillate sourced from other countries and bottled in combination with the Hawaiian Rum Agricole. We’ll have more to say about those other expressions in the coming days.

The bottle was provided by Kuleana but this is not a sponsored post.