Mai Kai - Favorite Drink?

Not to be outdone by the California crowd (see here)...

What is your favorite drink from the Mai-Kai!

I'll take a Jet-Pilot please, with a Floridita Daiquiri chaser.

I'd have to say a Zombie to start things off and then end with a Kona Coffee Grog.

Oh how I wish I was there right now

[ Edited by: Tiki_Zombie 2008-09-05 15:11 ]

Black Magic!
The combination of coffee and pineapple is out of this world.

On 2008-09-05 15:11, Tikiwahine wrote:
Black Magic!
The combination of coffee and pineapple is out of this world.

here Hear ! Black Magic baby !

Jet Pilot in Tahiti or Samoa dining rooms please.

Black Magic.

I want one right now.

Mystery Bowl! That chick is HOT!!! :o

I really liked the Bora Bora ~

Of course you would, Bora Boris!!

Of course, I gotta have a Rum Barrel or two. Then wash it down with a Shrunken Skull. Or two.

For us non coffee drinkers, the Black Magic didn't do anything for me.

But the Derby Daiquiri(grapefruit sour), now we're talking! Truly award winning (yes, it really won an award for best drink).

I must recommend the Grandfather Barrel. Its not on the menu and is rather pricey ($22). It is a top shelf Rum Barrel. They use top shelf rums, mix them and let the mixture mature for a month (So I was told). The result is a cocktail that is so exceptionally smooth, it is my new favorite! Definitely worth the price--an amazing cocktail!

jet pilot
then a black magic
then a rum barrel
then... (stumble)

I need to try them all first before telling wich one's my favorite, but yeah, Rum barrel's a fantastic drink, and jet Pilot too.

All of the years of going to the Mai Kai, and trying almost every drink on the medium and strong side of the menu I was really impressed with the Zula #1. It is on the bottom right hand side of the stong side of the menu. It had a hint of licorice....maybe pernod, but tasted a little more like Galliano. The drink almost reminded me of a West Indes Yellow Bird if anyone is familiar with the drink. Also the Black Magic and Rum Barrel are also 2 of my other favorites.

Black Magic!

On 2008-09-06 08:27, Digitiki wrote:
I must recommend the Grandfather Barrel. Its not on the menu and is rather pricey ($22). It is a top shelf Rum Barrel. They use top shelf rums, mix them and let the mixture mature for a month (So I was told). The result is a cocktail that is so exceptionally smooth, it is my new favorite! Definitely worth the price--an amazing cocktail!

I concur. A Must for any Lush.

"That old black magic has me in its spell". yeah, yeah, I know... to obvious. At least I did not say I'm a black magic woman. Cuz I'm not, I'm a guy.

But I am definitely gonna research the Grandaddy barrel! although I'm not a Grandaddy yet or a black magic woman. Just so we got that straight.

whatever.

I'll have "the usual".

(um...that's a black magic to anyone who ain't used to seeing me during happy hour)

...but, if Hayward is around it's most of "the right half of the menu"!

I always get a Zombie. I may have a few others, but always a Zombie. It's very near the original 1934 recipe, but weaker.

My next favorites are the Shark Bite, Black Magic, 151 Swizzle and Jet Pilot.

OK, I suppose it's ready for public unveiling. Thanks to otikiniko and everyone else who helped me on my taste-testing sojourn (hey, somebody's gotta do it), I now crack open my little black book and present ..

Hurricane Hayward's Mai-Kai Top 40

(A few introductory notes: This is very much a work in progress and will most likely continue to evolve slightly. However, its basically pretty stable and, of course, based on my own personal tastes. I've tried all but one (banana daiquiri) on the official mild, medium and strong menus and am slowly working my way through the after-dinner drinks. I've yet to sample the Grandfather barrel - I have a feeling it will probably be near the top of this list some day. See the footnotes for a few other drinks not on the menu. And aside from perhaps the bottom three or four, they're all highly recommended and sure to please imbibers with different tastes. If you think I've made a grave mistake, please let me know and I'll gladly give the drink in question another shot.)

Without further adieu ...

1 - Zombie (strong)
2 - Shark Bite (medium)
3 - 151 Swizzle (strong)
4 - Special Planters Punch (strong)
5 - Barrel O' Rum (strong)
6 - Sidewinder's Fang (strong)
7 - Yeoman's Grog (strong)
8- Rum Julep (medium)
9 - Jet Pilot (strong)
10 - Hidden Pearl (medium)
11 - Pina Colada (medium)
12 - Cobra Kiss (medium)
13 - Shrunken Skull (strong)
14 - The Hukilau (strong)
15 - Samoan Grog (mild)
16 - Mai-Tai (strong)
17 - Mutiny (strong)
18 - Pina Passion (medium)
19 - Zula (strong)
20 - Bora Bora (strong)
21 - Special Reserve Daiquiri (medium)
22 - Black Magic (strong)
23 - Mara-Amu (medium)
24 - S.O.S. (mild)
25 - Chocolate Snowflake, Mai-Bai Blizzard (tie) (after dinner)
26 - Moonkist Coconut (medium)
27 - Oh So Deadly (mild)
28 - Tahitian Breeze (medium)
29 - Deep-Sea Diver (medium)
30 - K.O. Cooler (strong)
31 - Malayan Mist (mild)
32 - Mai-Kai Special (mild)
33 - Mai-Kai Swizzle (mild)
34 - Floridita Daiquiri (mild)
35 - Derby Daiquiri (mild)
36 - Gardenia Lei (after dinner)
37 - Planters Punch (medium)
38 - Strawberry Daiquiri (mild)
39 - Martinique Milk Punch (mild)
40 - Tahitian Coffee (after dinner)

Footnotes:

• The top 3 are remarkable, and the top 10 are all worthy of the tiki drink hall of fame. But please, consume with caution, they're all very potent.
• Pina Colada No. 11? The best I've ever tasted. Excellent drink to recommend to a newbie who might be a little intimidated by a Shrunken Skull.
• I'm not tremendously impressed by the Mutiny or Black Magic. So shoot me. Very sold drinks, I admit, but I guess it's just a personal taste thing. I prefer The Hukilau among the three coffee drinks. I'm also not a huge daiquiri fan though the Special Reserve is quite special.

Non-menu drinks:

• If anyone has any suggestions beyond the Grandfather Barrel, please let me know. I'd like to add those as well.
• A few drinks from Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari need to be mentioned. I'm not sure any of these can actually be ordered at the Mai-Kai anymore (does anybody know?) but from my home-mixing experience I would grade them thusly:

• Big Bamboo: The precursor to the Mara-Amu (once offered only to Okole Maluna Club members who worked their way through every drink on the menu). One of my all-time favorites would rank at or near the top of the list, especially if made at the Mai-Kai by Mariano Licudine with vintage ingredients. At least let me dream.
• Last Rites: A very solid, classic cocktail (also direct from Mariano's notebook). I'd probably rank this right below the Cobra Kiss or Shruken Skull on my list.
• Demerara Cocktail: I'm a big fan of Demerara rum but this one doesn't do much for me. A bit too strong and not terribly drinkable. It would need to be in the mid-30s on my list but again, this is just one man's opinion.

I'd encourage everyone to support the Mai-Kai and do your own evaluating. If you need an excuse to join other taste-testers, check out our monthly social:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28926&forum=4

Funny you should ask...

JET PILOT!

JET PILOT!

JET PILOT!

Their Jet Pilot is the loveliest drink ever to these tastebuds. Wish I knew how to make one.

FLORATINA!!

I'll FedEx you a Jet Pilot next time I'm at the Mai Kai.
But you have to FedEx me a Ray's Mistake.

Their Jet Pilot is the loveliest drink ever to these tastebuds. Wish I knew how to make one.

Try this:

3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce grape (not grapefruit) juice
3/4 ounce honey mix (equal parts honey, water)
3/4 ounce gold rum (I'd recommend Cruzan Estate 5-year if you can find it)
3/4 ounce Myers dark Jamaican rum
1 ounce Lemon Hart Demerara 151 rum
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes grenadine (use pomegranate syrup if possible)

Blend with 6 ounces crushed ice for 3-5 seconds. Serve in a double old-fashioned glass with more crushed ice.

The above is the recipe for Don the Beachcomber's Test Pilot from "Hawai'i - Tropical Rum Drinks & Cuisine" by Arnold Bitner & Phoebe Beach (a book well worth picking up for anyone intrested in decoding Mai-Kai drinks). It's not the real deal, but pretty close (he writes between sips).

As we all know, most of the Mai-Kai drinks were adapted from Don the Beachcomber drinks by ex-Beachcomber bartender Mariano Licudine when he was hired by the Thornton brothers as their bar manager when they opened the Mai-Kai 1956.

The above book, while not as comprehensive or accurate as any of Jeff Berry's, offers some great insights into this Beachcomber/Mai-Kai synergy. You'll also find recipes for the Pearl Diver (Deep Sea Diver), Cobra's Fang (Cobra's Kiss), Beachcomber's Rum Barrel (Barrel O' Rum), Cuban Daiquiri (Floridita Daiquiri), Kona Coffee Grog (Kona Coffee Grog), Mai Tai (Mai Tai), Sharks's Tooth (Shark Bite), Zombie (Zombie), Planter's Rum Punch (Planter's Punch), Q.B. Cooler (K.O. Cooler), Coconut Rum (Moonkist Coconut), Tahitian Rum Punch (Tahitian Breeze), Mystery Gardenia (Gardenia Lei), Pi Yi (Pina Passion) and Don's Pearl (Hidden Pearl).

Be advised that many of these taste a bit different than the drinks you'll find in the Mai-Kai, but a few are spot-on (Don's Pearl, Beachcomber's Rum Barrel). It's safe to assume that Mariano tweaked many of the original recipes and others were adjusted over the years. Also, it's possible many of the recipes in Phoebe Beach's book are variations of the originals that Mariano took to Mai-Kai. And last, but not least, it's difficult if not impossible to duplicate the various rums, syrups and juices that are indigenous to the Mai-Kai.

It should be noted that there are several other Beachcomber/Mai-Kai drink recipes available in Beachbum Berry's books: Never Say Die (Oh So Deadly), Rum Julep (Rum Julep), 151 Swizzle (151 Swizzle), Don's Own Planter's (Planters Punch) and Don's Beach Planter (Special Planters Punch). I'd also mention that Berry's Zombie, Tahitian Rum Punch and Q.B. Cooler recipes are preferable to those in "Hawai'i" and also come closer to the Mai-Kai versions (in my humble opinion).

And, finally, here's my list of Beachcomber/Mai-Kai drinks that I've yet to find a recipe for. Cocktail sleuths, this is your cue:

• Hot Buttered Rum
• Martinique Milk Punch
• Special Reserve Daiquiri
• Colonial Grog (Yeoman's Grog)
• Don's Swizzle (Mai-Kai Swizzle)

But enough of my yacking ... I'm off to make another Test Pilot.

On 2008-09-08 12:42, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Hurricane Hayward's Mai-Kai Top 40

Wow, that's a mighty impressive list of "achievements" you've compiled! Bravo. Glad to see someone is single-handedly keeping the Mai-Kai in business. :wink:

On 2008-09-08 18:00, pablus wrote:
FLORATINA!!

I'll FedEx you a Jet Pilot next time I'm at the Mai Kai.
But you have to FedEx me a Ray's Mistake.

Oooh, that would be interesting...would we have to pack them in dry ice or somethin?

Jet Pilot gots grape, honey, grenadine? there is something different about that drink. I just knew it!

[ Edited by: floratina 2008-09-09 22:11 ]

On 2008-09-08 18:00, pablus wrote:
...But you have to FedEx me a Ray's Mistake.

OK, I Gotta get me one of these! If the gentleman that made me my first Pilot recommends it I simply must taste one... and I will! (eventually)

On 2008-09-08 12:42, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

• I'm not tremendously impressed by the Mutiny or Black Magic. So shoot me. Very sold drinks, I admit, but I guess it's just a personal taste thing. I prefer The Hukilau among the three coffee drinks.

Um.. I was led to believe (shux I've tasted it) the Mutiny has no coffee while the Black Magic does.

Don't tempt me, Skot and I are going for our concealed weapons permits next month.

Look up the "Missionary's Downfall" or "Missionary's Doom" and you'll find some background for the Hukilau. Once again, I thought it was going to be called "Doom" or "Downfall" before it got rather generically named after Christie's shin-dig by the winner of a contest to name the drink. Plus, it's been a bit inconsistent... but I'd much rather discuss/debate it at the Molokai.

Impossible to answer but I'm with Swanky and always get a Zombie.

Its the Zombie for me. I try to recreate the Mai Kai's version, but fail everytime. Any suggestions?

On 2008-09-10 21:18, otikiniko wrote:

Um.. I was led to believe (shux I've tasted it) the Mutiny has no coffee while the Black Magic does.

How soon we forget. I seem to recall one blurry evening when we had the Mutiny and Black Magic (and probably the Hukilau too) all lined up for comparison taste-testing. But even if our recollections are fuzzy, the menu doesn't lie ...

Black Magic
The owner's choice. A superbly smooth but forthright blending of fine dark rums and tropical juices, subtly laced with coffee and truly refreshing.

Mutiny
A superb blend of the finest rums, fresh tropical juices and a splash of coffee.
A daily ration, says the Skipper, prevents scurvy and discontentment within the crew.

Prevents scurvy AND discontentment. Now there's a drink.

Now let's give the Grandfather's Barrel a whirl tonight and let the chips fall where they may.

...and let the chips fall where they may.

I'll be under the bar, of course.

CHOCOLATE SNOWFLAKE with EXTRA COFFEE and A SCOOP OF CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM. I WISH they would let me have it in a Mystery Bowl!!!! I ask Troy the Bartender all the time and he just looks at me like I'm crazy, but he does give me the extra ice cream, SOMETIMES!

My favorite drinks are;

1. Beer
2. Ice Coffee
3. Apple Juice
4. Ice tea

[ Edited by: stiffanbond 2010-05-12 04:44 ]

I like it when old threads are brought back to life...
I've never seen this one and am looking forward to adding to it after Hukilau '10.
Me and the missus plan on going to the Mai Kai a couple times while we are there.

Hurricane Hayward any changes to your list and did you ever give that Grandfathers Barrel a try?

I like it when old threads are brought back to life too, but brought back for a reason. The hit-and-run poster who resurrected this thread did so only to get a reaction. Won't get one from me, but... now I have a craving for a Jet Pilot.

Favorite?

Simple.

Page 3.

I'm just going to have water when I venture into the Hukilau. Yes, those are monkeys flying out of my butt, too!

I've only tried about 4 or 5 menu drinks so far....foolish me used to order standard whiskey highballs when I went there years ago. To date I like the Barrel O' Rum and Shrunken Skull but am looking forward to trying the Jet Pilot. Too bad you can't order the Mystery Drink in a smaller version, that is one darn tasty cocktail!

[ Edited by: F-Troop Mom 2010-05-13 13:47 ]

Wow, I was pondering how to resurrect this thread in time for Hukilau 2010 and, voila!

As a matter of fact, Beach Bum Scott, I've been hard at work fine-tuning my list of drinks and have actually completed my journey through everything on the menu (save the non-alcoholic ones). Finally had the Mystery Drink in March at my pre-wedding party (see below). I'm not sure the Grandfather Barrel is available anymore, however. I was told by reliable sources that the rum blend that made it special was no longer available.

So without further adieu, here are my revised rankings. Of course, personal tastes will vary but you can't go wrong with any of the top 25.

Hurricane Hayward's Mai-Kai drink rankings

(as of June 8, 2010)

1 - Zombie (strong)
2 - Shark Bite (medium)
3 - 151 Swizzle (strong)
4 - Special Planters Punch (strong)
5 - Barrel O' Rum (strong)
6 - Sidewinder's Fang (strong), Mystery Drink (tie)
7 - Jet Pilot (strong)
8- Rum Julep (medium)
9 - Yeoman's Grog (strong)
10 - Hidden Pearl (medium)
11 - Cobra Kiss (medium)
12 - Shrunken Skull (strong)
13 - Mutiny (strong)
14 - The Hukilau (strong)
15 - Mai-Tai (strong)
16 - Pina Passion (medium)
17 - Samoan Grog (mild)
18 - Zula (strong)
19 - K.O. Cooler (strong)
20 - Special Reserve Daiquiri (medium)
21 - Black Magic (strong)
22 - Mara-Amu (medium)
23 - S.O.S. (mild)
24 - Chocolate Snowflake, Mai-Kai Blizzard (tie) (after dinner)
25 - Moonkist Coconut (medium)
26 - Deep-Sea Diver (medium)
27 - Hot Buttered Rum, Kona Coffee Grog (tie) (after dinner)
28 - Tahitian Breeze (medium)
29 - Oh So Deadly (mild)
30 - Bora Bora (strong)
31 - Pina Colada (medium)
32 - Malayan Mist (mild)
33 - Mai-Kai Special (mild)
34 - Mai-Kai Swizzle (mild)
35 - Floridita Daiquiri (mild)
36 - Derby Daiquiri (mild)
37 - Gardenia Lei (after dinner)
38 - Planters Punch (medium)
39 - Strawberry or Banana Daiquiri (mild)
40 - Martinique Milk Punch (mild)
41 - Tahitian Coffee (after dinner)
42 - Wahine Delight, Cappuccino (tie) (after dinner)

I think I'll stick with this lineup since it's remained pretty stable for quite some time now after revisiting many of these creations multiple times.

My next project: After sampling just about everything I've consumed, my wife is giving me her picks. A female perspective, if you will. Right now her faves are the
Mutiny, Hukilau and Zula.

We hope to see everyone at Hukilau later this week!

The Cobra's Kiss is still my favorite. I've tried sips of other people's drinks at my table and have yet to drink anything finer. Of course their Barrel O'Rum is good too when you need to "catch up"(like from 0-60 in 10 seconds)! Whew!

On 2010-06-08 00:20, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
35 - Floridita Daiquiri (mild)
36 - Derby Daiquiri (mild)

Heathen!

How can you rank the Derby Daiquiri so low on your list? It is a Mai Kai Original and very tasty!

I know, its on Page 1 putting it in the mild category, but taste wins out over potency any day.....

What, you don't like Orange? Try the Floridita! Its made with Grapefruit and is a refreshing course between stronger drinks.

A nice evening at the Mai Kai is one Strong Drink (Jet Pilot for me please) followed by a Floridita, followed by a Strong Drink, followed by several Daiquiri's of either flavor. I get to my Happy Place and can maintain while still staying at or below the legal limit so I can drive home.

Of course, you mileage may vary.

And the beauty of your particular Molokai Maiden may effect the perception of your drinks too.

On 2010-06-08 07:19, Chip and Andy wrote:

A nice evening at the Mai Kai is one Strong Drink (Jet Pilot for me please) followed by a Floridita, followed by a Strong Drink, followed by several Daiquiri's of either flavor.

Thanks Dr. Chip - this is certainly a prescription I can follow...and repeat.

Points well taken, Chip. Now, if we're going to discuss how to mix and match different cocktails, that discussion could be endless. I would certainly not stack too many of the strong ones on top of each other.

My rankings just give more weight to those cocktails that, in my opinion, are one-of-a-kind classics that really knock my socks off. I'm afraid the daiquiris just don't do that. They do have their place, obviously. Most conspicuously at the corner table at the Molokai Lounge ;>)

Hey, maybe there's another thread for this, but who will be at the Molokai Bar tonight?

If all goes according to plan, Birdgirl and I land around 7 and hope to have a cocktail in hand by 8.

I'll be easy to spot - just look for the heavy, middle-aged white guy with the aloha shirt...wait a minute...

Mai Kai will be loaded with Hukilau revelers tonight.

Has anyone been able to crack the recipe for the Yeoman's Grog? I gather that it's the same as Don the Beachcomber's Colonial Grog. On an old Beachcomber menu the following ingredients are listed: "Very Old New England Rums, Pimento Dram, Trinidad Bitters and Maple Sugar." Certainly sounds intriguing.

So, it was only a couple of visits over Hukilau, but i'm willing to throw my two cents in the ring (wait, is that mixing metaphors?) The Zombie was so good that I wished I had it for every drink I had there (not really the tasting was fun). Granted I only had a handful of drinks and quite a few sips of others, but the Zombie was so much better than all the rest (Barrel o'Rum in second place).
Oh, and I think I had an allergic reaction to something in the Black Magic... anyone else?

I usually start with the Barrell O' Rum, then I get a Cobra's Kiss. Then a Mai Tai. After that....uhhhh