What makes Halekulani so special and downright cool is the history you’ll experience when you stay at this legendary Waikiki resort. The hotel has certainly come a long way since its humble beginnings, but guests can still appreciate the site’s original bungalow when they dine at two of Halekulani’s three spectacular, open-air restaurants: La Mer and Orchids. That’s not to say House Without A Key doesn’t come with its own history lesson, as it was named for author Earl Derr Biggers first novel, after he found inspiration at the property’s kiawe tree. (See? Pretty cool.)
And while these restaurants serve up some incredible cuisine, the cocktails and “faux tails” are exciting in their own right. From L’Aperitif’s Five Pennies, which sounds as much like a dare as it is a drink, to the Lewers Lounge’s bubbly Lost Passion, you’ll have your hands full here. But when it came time to ask for a recipe to make and enjoy at home before our next voyage to Oahu, Halekulani delivered a classic: the Mai Tai.
This isn’t just any ordinary Mai Tai, though. Halekulani proclaims this version to be “world-famous,” and to know why, well… you’ll just have to make it and find out.
Halekulani’s World-Famous Mai Tai (or Your Tai)
Ingredients:
- 1/3 oz Orgeat syrup
- 1/3 oz orange Curaçao
- 1/3 oz rock candy syrup
- 1/2 oz Bacardi Gold Rum
- 1/2 oz Bacardi 151 Rum
- 1 1/4 oz fresh lime juice
- 3/4 oz Bacardi Select
How to Make It:
Mix all of the ingredients, with the exception of the Bacardi Select, in a shaker with ice and pour over ice. Add the Bacardi Select as a floater. For the full effect, Halekulani highly recommends topping off Your Tai with a cocktail umbrella!
