Tag: Oahu

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Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai with Best Views in Waikiki

Swung by the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian and managed to grab the best seat in the house and maybe the entire beach. Ground zero for the Hawaiian Mai Tai, when Trader Vic included the cocktail on the menu in 1953. That original ‘53 was pretty close to the ‘44 and needless to say today’s RH Mai Tai is quite different. But I must say I really liked the taste, much better than the Vic’s ‘44 we had earlier in the trip. The sweet blend of flavors worked for me on this visit. And you can’t beat the view of Diamond Head.

We ended up having dinner here, including the pancakes that were perfect. Service was pretty good too, though I’m sure the waitress was simply happy to deliver one or two drinks at a time compared to the typical table full of drinks.

The Royal Hawaiian is such a charming hotel, with a few cute stores and little passageways. And somehow insulated from the hustle of nearby Kalakaua Ave.

The Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai (Classic Recipe from 1972)
½ oz Lime Juice
¼ oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz unsweetened Pineapple Juice
¼ oz Sugar Syrup
¼ oz Orgeat
¼ oz Orange Curacao
1 oz Demerara Rum
1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum
1 oz Light Rum

Garnish with a Pineapple finger, Sugar Cane stick, Orchid, and Mint Sprig.

Today, the Royal Hawaiian provides the “secret recipe” for their “Original” Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai, and it differs considerably from the older recipe originally published in Drinks of Hawaii. Purists will note the use of Amaretto rather than Orgeat, and a mere 1½ ounces of rum.

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai (Modern Recipe)
Build in shaker with ice:
1 oz Bacardi Rum
1 tsp Cherry Vanilla Puree
½ oz Amaretto di Saronno
½ oz Cointreau
1 oz Fresh Govinda Orange Juice
2 oz Fresh Govinda Pineapple Juice
½ oz Whaler’s Dark Rum Float

Roll the shaker, pour in a large “bucket” glass. Float with Whaler’s Dark Rum, garnish with a parasol with cherry, pineapple and lime wedge.

Learn more the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai’s Evolution

The original Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai was very different from the two recipes shown above. Learn more about how this classic cocktail evolved.

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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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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.

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Deck

We have to thank Christa for the tip on Deck, a restaurant and bar located at the far end of Waikiki on the 3rd floor pool deck at the Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel. This was around the corner from Tiki’s and proved to be an elevated cocktail experience.

The Mai Tai is a ’44 made with three rums from local favorites KōHana. This superior Mai Tai allowed the rum blend to shine brightly and lets you savor the unique taste of these Hawaiian Agricole rums. Really great.

Mrs. Mai Tai ordered the R&R, which is a Gin cordial with raspberry and thyme, topped with soda. Quite interesting and refreshing. We also tried their Basque Cheesecake which was just right for desert, and quite good.

Our service at Deck was great, and we appreciate the host who sat us in quieter portion of the restaurant rather than at the bar where there was a lot of hooting and hollering. Quite a nice place to relax, and during daylight hours there’s a fabulous view of Diamond Head.