From Left: Ricky Supnet, Wendy Augustine, Ryan Burden, Jeff Felice, Dia Asada, Joel Fleck, Eric Martinez, Sasanna Babashoff, Julie Henson, Blair Anderson

You can’t be a bartender in Hawaii with out knowing the Mai Tai. While some may despise the drink,  others are willing to turn it into a creative outlet which I bore witness to at last week’s Mai Tai Mix Off preliminary competition at the Royal Lahaina. Ten bartenders went head to head in five seven minute rounds with their own personal recipes. The top three competitors will get a place at the Second Annual Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival held on August 14 at the Royal Kona Resort.

Judging Mai Tais, Its a Difficult Job But these guys are up for it From Left: Eric Gilliom, Chuck Bergson, Joey Gottesman, Sommer Meyer

Burdened with the hard job of tasting and scoring, judges Joey Gottesman, Better Brands, who also emceed the rounds, Eric Gilliom, Barefoot Natives, Sommer Meyer, Bacardi and Chuck Bergson of Pacific Radio Group did the major lifting.

The Competitors and their drinks:

Wendy Augustine, Tai Mai, Haliimaile General Store, Makawao, HI

Blair Anderson, Kamaaina Mai Tai, Mala Ocean Tavern, Lahaina, HI

Dia Asada, Summertime Mai Tai, The Fairmont Kealani, Wailea, HI

Sasanna Babashoff, “3 Tai”, Three’s Bar and Grill, Kihei, HI

Ryan Burden, Kipona Aloha- Mai Tai, Mala Ocean Tavern, Lahaina, HI

Jeff  Felice, Maita’i roa ae, Westin KOR, Lahaina, HI

Joel Flack, Full Boat, Royal Lahaina & Maui Brewing Co, Lahaina, HI

Julie Henson, Maihitotiatini, Kahele’s Beach Club, Kihei, HI

Jason Kashtan, Mai Tai Flip, Canoe’s Restaurant, Lahaina, HI

Eric Martinez, POG Tai, Four Season’s Maui, Wailea, HI

Ricky Supnet, The Peoples Mai Tai, Royal Lahaina, HI

Its good in the winner's circle, Jeff Felice, Blair Anderson, Ryan Burden

Blair Anderson from Mala Ocean Tavern in Lahaina took top honors with his Kama’aina Mai Tai. His recipe featured a very familiar combination the flavors of pineapple and orange, lime but he mixed it up with flavored Bacardi Limon and Bacardi O and Select, and featured a pineapple wedge infused with Bacardi coco, and a cocito garnish, a resulting understated but spectacular flavored drink. Anderson says he will have it available at Mala Ocean Tavern if you want a taste. Ryan Burden, also of Mala Ocean Tavern, was a close runner up with his Kiona Aloha Mai Tai. His concept was to create an organic, natural Mai Tai, and in doing so his 7 minutes on stage was a show stopper. He pressed his sugar cane juice on stage and ran off to the side to hack open a coconut with a macheteto harvest fresh coco water and young meat. His Mai Tai was creamy and dreamy. Also going to Kona to compete is Jeff Felice, from the Westin KOR, his Mai Tai featured fresh mint and local ingredients, but the highlight was his pineapple spear garnish that he designed a face out of raspberries and lime.

Above: Jeff Felice of Westin's KOR below: Julie Henson, Kahale's Beach Club

Julie Henson, Joey Gottesman and Julie's assistant who narrated

Julie Henson from Kahale’s Beach Club took away the People’s Choice Award. Her Maihitotiatini was a mash up between the Mohito and the Mai Tai and the Martini. Served in a Martini glass with plenty of mint flavor, her presentation included a narration of a the story behind the drink. From Kihei’s new Three’s Bar and Grill, Sossanna’s 3-tai featured an unusual garnish of red pepper and candy ginger, Bergson’s take on it, “The first taste is fruity flavor and you get a bit of the sugar rim, then I took a bite of the ginger for a new dimension of the drink. Then you bite into the pepper for the grand finale.” The full boat by Joel Flack, from Maui Brewing Co and Royal Lahaina, was a fruit smoothie sort of a Mai Tai. Fresh berry ice, thai basil, muddled frozen strawberries all contributed, along with the rum, the resulting Mai Tai acidic on first sip, but after a few moments the flavors bound together and smoothed out.

Torched Cherry Cocktail Anyone?

In between the competition rounds DJ Dan spun summer tunes that kept the Bacardi flowing. Bacardi launched a new flavor of rum, Torched Cherry which debuted here. In between Mai Tai’s I got a taste. On the cutting edge with flavor trends, Aloe is an up and comer and Bacardi has infused that flavor with Cherry. The rum is easy to mix and will bring a new meaning to Cherry Coke. When I first heard the name, I envisioned the aloe was “torched” or grilled or heated in some way to bring out flavor. However that is not true, the torched actually refers to the torch aloe, a particular plant. I tried it here with sprite and cranberry both flavors took a back seat to the cherry which came on strong, but not too sweet. It was quite good, like a spiked shirley temple. Gordon Chisholm, Brand Director of Flavored Rums at Bacardi explains, “The plant has not been roasted or torched. Torched is descriptive of the fiery orange and red color of the aloe blooms. The torch plant aloe is infused with the Barbados cherry rum base in order to add a complexity that is not available in any other cherry cleared flavored spirit. Torched Cherry delivers a complex rum that is refreshingly familiar and easy to mix.”

Some @Bacardi Torched Cherry Recipes to try:

BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ and COCA-COLA®
1 part BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Flavored Rum
3 parts COCA-COLA®
Pour over ice and garnish with a lime wedge.

BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Burnt Berry
1 part BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Flavored Rum
1½ parts SPRITE®
1½ parts pomegranate juice
Pour ingredients over ice and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Torched Cranberry
1 part BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Flavored Rum
3 parts cranberry juice
Pour ingredients over ice and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ & Sprite
1 part BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Flavored Rum
3 parts SPRITE®
Pour ingredients over ice and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Pom Spark
1 part BACARDI® TORCHED CHERRY™ Flavored Rum
1½ parts SPRITE®
1½ parts pomegranate schnapps
Pour ingredients over ice, stir and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Tom and Liz Bell, Chuck Bergson, Jim Falk, Sommer Meyer and Friends

Beautiful Sunset falls on Royal Lahaina at the Royal Terrace Lounge

The pool party was a blast, and the Royal Ocean Terrace Lounge was the perfect perch for Sunset on the West side. Between the action of the Mix Off, the pupus and the featured Bacardi cocktails everyone was having a blast. I had a chance to ask Chad Metcalfe, Metcalfe Restaurants, what he thought of the new Torched Cherry, his response, “I thought it was great. Kinda like one of those too good alcohols that when out in sun or on boat catches up ta ya good!” The pupus were a perfect combo with the rum, Don the Beachcomber would have been proud, I had shu mai, egg rolls, sushi, and coconut fried shrimp. Later after the sunset live entertainment by Shawn Mclaughlin &  Riese Perry got a whole new crowd around the stage for after hours fun. I had an amazing plate of ribs and sweet potato fries. Royal Lahaina Terrace offers 50% off select bottles of wine Mon, Wed, Fri all this month.

(Catch up with the Royal Lahaina on their facebook page)

All of this Mai Tai action is a precursor to the two day Mai Tai Festival that kicks off in August at the Royal Kona Resort, that honors the Mai Tai and tiki culture and includes a BBQ competition, The Mai Tai Battle and $10000 cash prize,and a Third Eye Blind Concert. Judges Sam Choy, Sam Choy Restaurants, William Ramos, Head Distiller for Bacardi Rum, Chris Teves, Hawaii Beverage Guide, and Beachbum Berry, Rum and Mai Tai expert will judge whose Mai Tai is the world’s best from 30 contestants, with about 15 coming in from Hawaii, and 15 from mainland and international locations.

photo credit: brianholsclaw

Mai Tais are like our State cocktail, at least for the tourists. But all of the bartenders here must make many Mai Tais daily. The Royal Lahaina Resort is hosting their chance to have a little fun with our “Hawaii-an punch” as twelve bartenders go glass to glass in a Mai Tai competion poolside at the Don the Beachcomer Restaurant sponsored by Better Brands and Bacardi. The competition is a qualifier for the Second Annual Don the Beachcomer Mai Tai Festival held at the Royal Kona Resort. The top three finalists get to compete in Kona.

Pre Mix-Off entrants thus far include: Wendy Augustine from Haliimaile General Store; Blair Anderson from Mala Ocean Tavern; Deliah Asada; Sasanna Babshoff from 3’s Bar and Grill; Ryan Burden from Mala Ocean Tavern; Jeff Felice from Westin KOR; Joel Flack from Royal Lahaina/Maui Brewing Company; Julie Henson from Kahele’s Beach Club; Jason Kashtan from Canoe’s Restaurant; and Eric Martinez from Four Season’s Maui. Judging will be done by Joey Gottesman from Better Brands, Eric Gilliom of the Barefoot Natives, and Chuck Bergson from Pacific Radio Group.

You can come vote for your fave bartender while you get a taste of the new flavor of Bacardi, Torched Cherry. (Post event follow up and winners here, 2nd annual Mai Tai Festival here)Cherry Bacardi cokes will have new meaning with this flavored rum. Bacardi has their own text line at 655-79, text torch to that number and you will get text updates with Bacardi recipes! my first one: (after verifying that I was of legal drinking age…) or for more recipes become a friend of Bacardi (on facebook) here, and Torched Cherry here.

“Pour 1 part Bacardi Torched Cherry” flavored Rum and 3 parts cola over ice and add a lime wedge”

My mouth is really wanting a sip of this beverage, so I hope to have a list of bars soon that we will find it at. But it will definitely be featured at tomorrow’s Board Shorts, Bikinis and Bacardi event. Royal Lahaina will host vendors around the pool including MILA, the Miracle Seed; Royal Trading Co. featuring Locally made goods, Real Foods Maui, Tiki Carvers, Weavers and other artisans. Even better sounds styled by DJ Dan and the Bacardi Girls will be there too. Pupus and BBQ planned for appetites. In addition Bacardi is taking the fun to facebook with party goers posing for pics in front of green screen.

Check this out via media post from Karlene Lukovitz of Marketing Daily

Meanwhile, the Torched Cherry Facebook fan page will offer fans not only recipes, videos and the mobile applications, but a way to capture and share photos taken during on-premises promotional events for the new rum offering.

During the events, consumers will be encouraged to pose in front of a green screen with friends. Their images will then be superimposed in the foreground of a Torched Cherry backdrop, placed on the flavored rum’s Facebook fan page, and emailed individually to those photographed so that they can forward the photos to friends.

check out some photos here

Listen to Radio plug here RL4161

Don the Beachcomber

at the Royal Lahaina Resort

2780 Kekaa Drive
Lahaina, HI 96761-1971
(808) 661-3611
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2780 Kekaa Drive
Lahaina, HI 96761-1971
(808) 661-3611

Bacardi Mai Tai Maui Club Card Back