Inside Maui’s Thrilling Cocktail Scene

With its tropical locale and melting pot of immigrant culinary influences, Maui’s beverage scene is rich with libation inspiration. As the island continues to recover in the wake of the tragic 2023 Lahaina wildfires, beverage and hospitality pros are more focused than ever on supporting local agriculture and highlighting Maui’s diverse history and vibrant flavors. 

Drink menus and wine lists alike focus on storytelling, too, whether it’s detailing the provenance of an ingredient or inciting a food-friendly pairing. By connecting the bounty of Maui’s land and sea with its rich history, these five locals-approved glasses offer a taste of Maui now and a glimpse into its bright future.

Red Stained Fingertips at Pilina

Just past Fairmont Kea Lani’s soaring lobby you’ll reach Pilina, a new open-air cocktail bar with panoramic ocean views, mind-bendingly good cocktails, and a stellar sushi menu. To showcase the wealth of Hawaiian agriculture and flavors, general manager Cameron Hall traveled 1,400 miles to three different islands to source ingredients from distillers, farmers and makers. The dozen-plus inventive cocktails are made with 90% Hawaiian ingredients, including the Red-Stained Fingertips, which features Waikulu Distillery’s Ohana Reserve Agave Spirit, crafted with Maui-grown agave and grilled Maui gold pineapple shrub with lemon peel and shichimi togarashi.

“I was lucky to have been born and raised on the north shore of Maui, and Red-Stained Fingertips was a trip down memory lane,” says Shay Smith, founder and president at Ocean Organic Farm and Distillery. “The flavors of Maui-Japanese fusion cuisine are so well represented in this cocktail—aged Ume plum liqueur and a li hing rimmed glass, rounded out nicely with locally made Ohana Reserve Agave Spirit. It’s fun, complex and delicious.”

Stepping into Tikehau Lounge feels like uncovering an industry insider’s watering hole. Between the funky wallpaper, eclectic menu and a vibe that Master Sommelier Chris Ramelb calls “Hawaiian hospitality on steroids,” you could easily while away the night here. Bar manager Mari Howe’s whimsical cocktails are garnish-led. The Hawaiian Samurai was inspired by a return trip to Japan; a souvenir samurai figurine with a stainless steel sword gave her the idea to use it as a cocktail pick, prompting her to order 100 more. 

Patrons choose their collectible miniature Katana sword (partly why the drink is $50), which spears a dehydrated Maui gold pineapple slice. The house-made charred pineapple Demerara adds tropical flair to the split base of Nikka From the Barrel and Nikka Yoichi Peated whiskies, all rounded out by Amaro Averna and black-walnut bitters. “She can get away with these high-roller cocktails because she understands garnish and presentation so well,” Ramelb says. “It’s an amazing balanced cocktail I wish I could drink out of a carafe. But there’s also these layers of who Mari is and the story she wants to tell.”

Banfi La Pettegola Vermentino at Matteo’s Osteria 

Matteo’s Osteria, helmed by chef Matteo Mistura, has been a destination for scratch-made pastas, fresh fish and a show-stopping wine room since 2013. The food-friendly, globally inflected wine list, overseen by beverage director Michael Russomanno, leans on bottles from Italy and California to pair with the island’s plentiful local catch. 

The signature Isola, featuring seared fresh catch—mahi mahi, monchong or onaga (long-tailed ruby red snapper)—is plated with a beurre blanc sauce and crispy risotto cakes. It practically begs for a crisp white; a glass of Banfi La Pettegola Vermentino fits the bill nicely. “The wine hails from Tuscany and reminds me of a cross between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay,” says Certified Sommelier Brian Clancy. “It has a bright and floral bouquet with a medium body and crisp finish. It’s the perfect foil to the fresh fish dish and leaves you wanting a second glass!”

At Esters Fair Prospect, the kitschy décor and tropical drinks pay homage to a classic tiki bar, but at its heart, it’s a cozy neighborhood bar that makes great drinks. Founder and operating partner Jessica Everett changes the menu often, but the Esters Daiquiri is a mainstay. It’s crafted with a house rum blend that features a rich, dark rum from St. Lucia, funky pot-stilled Jamaican rum and grassy KōHana Kea Hawaiian Agricole, distilled from freshly pressed heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane. To impart complexity and a touch of acidity, the drink is sweetened with Sugar Cane Dane Maui cane syrup, then finished with absinthe and bitters.

“You can drink it at any time of the day whether you’re day-drinking after the beach or it’s a nightcap,” says chef Isaac Bancaco, VP of operations at Koholā Brewery. “It’s so well balanced, with the ratio of sugar to booze to acid that Jess puts in it. I just think that her bold but still feminine touches on all her cocktails are really just drinkable.”

Kō, which is Hawaiian for sugarcane, takes its culinary inspiration from the cultures of immigrants who came to work Maui’s sugar cane plantations. This melting pot of Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino and Japanese flavors yield dishes like octopus with daikon and avocado calamansi coconut cream, or chicken and mushroom lumpia, one of chef Jonathan Pasion’s treasured family recipes. 
If Kyle Kawakami, chef-owner of Maui Fresh Streatery, is in the mood for a cocktail, he opts for the refreshing Shiso Sour, a twist on a tequila sour with shiso leaf and grapefruit. But he’s just as likely to reach for the approachable wine list, peppered with food-friendly bottles that are an ideal match for Kō’s fresh seafood and funky flavors, like Migration Pinot Noir. “I like Pinots because they’re not as heavy as some of the bigger reds,” Kawakami says. “They have a little spice, berries. They pair well with some of the soy-based foods that you see at Kō. It worked well because we had the [Korean braised] short ribs, we had the octopus dish—it was one that covered all the bases.”

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Published: July 26, 2024