Tag: Hawaii

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Arnold’s Beach Bar – Hidden Waikiki Gem

Arnold’s Beach Bar is an under-looked gem of a bar in Waikiki. We were impressed on a previous visit and can confirm they’re still doing well.

The Mai Tai isn’t craft but at only $10 is really great. The ingredients are Calypso Virgin Islands White rum, Triple Sec, Amaretto, a splash of OJ and Pineapple, and a float of Dark Rum. A good shake means this Mai Tai is mixed well and chilled, better than many Mai Tais I’ve had this trip.

This is by far the best dive bar in Waikiki, with a friendly bartender and cheap booze. Plus some nice tiki decor. I enjoyed the visit and had two rounds.

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Halekulani Mai Tai

The House without a Key was booked but we eventually figured out there is an adjacent pool bar that serves the full menu and even had a great view of the performance stage.

Our salads were good but expensive. A much better value was the Halekulani’s famous Coconut Cake. So light, with a cream frosting that I loved. Don’t skip it if you come.

The Mai Tai was good, not great (didn’t stop me from having two, though). The mix is batched and placed into glasses where they are procured when ordered and ice is added, then the dark rum float. No shaking or stirring, which makes the first sips less than satisfying. A little self stir rectified things.

According to the Halekulani’s published recipe, the float is supposed to be Lemon Hart 151, but we only saw Myers’s being used. Not a terrible choice but for sure lacking the requisite oomph we previously found to be this cocktail’s most important ingredient.

Nonetheless you’d be hard pressed to find a better Mai Tai in Waikiki. We continue to recommend this.

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Trader Vic’s Bottled Mai Tai

These seem to only be available in Hawaii, and are significantly different than the canned Mai Tais that have been introduced in the last year or so.

But, this was actually really tasty and pleasant. It is made with rum and orange liqueur and actually resembles a Mai Tai.

Served in a Trader Vic’s mug I picked up at Bailey’s Antiques.

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Casa de Christa Mai Tai

We had a lovely drive to the far side of the island for a visit with our friend @drtikiren. So nice to meet Christa in person after a couple of years being virtual friends. We also got to meet her cute dog Scarlet.

Christa welcomed us with this fabulous Mai Tai made with unaged Hawaiian rum and Anejo rum. The fresh lime juice sparkles in this and Christa says her Mai Tai features a split of Orgeat and Macadamia Nut Liqueur. Really great, better than almost all the Mai Tais on this trip, and appreciated. Mahalo.

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Vic’s ’44 Mai Tai at the Royal Hawaiian

We popped over to the Mai Tai Bar for a drink. Wish the 1944 Mai Tai was better, but sadly it was sour and thin. Mrs Mai Tai had a better time with her Pink Palace, which is a Pina Colada with grenadine to add the pink color reminiscent of the Royal Hawaiian’s pink color.

 

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Mai Tai’s at Ala Moana Center

The longtime Mai Tai Bar at the Ala Moana Shopping Center went through ownership changes and is now known as Mai Tai’s. It’s a shaded but open air restaurant and bar that frequently has live music. Among the things that haven’t changed are the hemlines of the tight dresses worn by the waitresses.

One item that’s changed is that the Mai Tai on the menu is a 1944, served with a dark rum float. It wasn’t great, though improved after mixing the float into the drink and after stirring to chill the cocktail. Nonetheless, this is a positive change in direction and it is still only $9. There’s also a Makai Tai that seems to be an Island Mai Tai made with Blue Curacao.

Our visit coincided with the start of the NBA Finals game, so the crowd was lively. Under typical circumstances this is a nice place to relax when your spouse is shopping.