|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
| Tropical cocktails, diverse and colorful. |
|
 |
|
|
TROPICAL DRINKS, PART OF THE HAWAIIAN EXPERIENCE |
Author: Lance Tominaga
Ever since Harry Yee created the “Blue Hawaii” nearly 45 years ago, tropical cocktails have been as much a part of the Hawaiian experience as white sand beaches, rainbows and waterfalls. Think about it. Is sunset in the Islands really complete without a refreshing “Mai Tai” or “Tropical Itch”?
Tropical cocktails are as diverse and colorful as the Hawaiian islands themselves. Their names are creative and often whimsical: “Paddler’s Passion,” “Lava Flow,” “Hula Girl,” “Big Kahuna,” “Tropical Delight,” “Torch Lighter” and even the “Missionary’s Downfall.” Traditional and new tropical drinks use a wide range of ingredients, and many of today’s recipes are nonalcoholic (so even the children can enjoy these fruity concoctions).
Yee came up with the “Blue Hawaii” in 1957, while working as a bartender at the now Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa in Waikiki. A sales representative for Bols asked Yee to create a new drink using blue curacao, one of the company’s new liqueurs. After experimenting with several ingredients, Yee hit the jackpot with the “Blue Hawaii.” His recipe is a zesty blend of blue curacao, rum and vodka.
3/4 oz. Rum
3/4 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Blue Caracao
3 oz. Pineapple Juice
1 oz. Sweet & Sour
Ice (optional)
That same year, Yee created another favorite Island drink, the “Tropical Itch,” which is made with rum, passion orange juice and orange curacao. The first “Blue Hawaii” drinks were stylishly served in a ten-ounce glass with a garnish of fresh pineapple, while the “Tropical Itch” came in a hurricane glass with a bamboo backscratcher.
Ironically, the king of tropical drinks in Hawaii—the celebrated “Mai Tai”—wasn’t created in Hawaii. An enterprising chef by the name of Donn Beach created the “Mai Tai” in California in the 1930s or ’40s. Beach, in fact, concocted more than 90 drinks during this time period.
In her book, 101 Great Tropical Drinks, author Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi provided this “Mai Tai” recipe from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel:
1/2 oz. Orange Curacao
2 oz. Orange Juice
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
Dash of Orgeat
Dash of Simple Syrup
1 oz. Light Rum
1 oz. Myer’s Dark Rum
(The rums should be layered: first the light rum, then the dark rum.)
While there are no rules for selecting a tropical cocktail, it may be helpful to follow the advice of writer Rick Carroll. “No tropical cocktail should taste too strong, too weak or too syrupy. It should be clean, fresh, smooth and flavorful with no jolt of alcohol or a lingering aftertaste. The perfect tropical drink shouldn’t burn your throat or turn you to stone.”
Whether you favor a “Kakaako Swamp Water” or “Greg Brady’s Wipeout,” enjoying a tropical drink in Hawaii is as refreshing as a swim at Hanauma Bay. Suck ’em up!
Photo Credits:Photo1: Michael Darden; Courtesy Keauhou Shopping Center ©2003-2004 Media-HI, Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
