Courtesy Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

The Mango Mai Tai is my favorite mai tai drink, especially as the sun sets at the Beach Tree Bar at Four Seasons Hualalai. The Mango Mai Tai is  simple to make and slightly less lethal than a regular mai tai, but I dare you to stop after just one. I asked Frank, the bartender ,who introduced me to this magnificent creation,  about it’s origins. First, the recipe.

SERVES:  1

INGREDIENTS

1.5 oz        (1 shot)           Cruzan Mango rum

1.5    oz     (1 shot)           pog juice* (you can substitute any commercial pot)

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai uses Pass-O-Guava, aka pog juice, but you can find pog sold in most grocery stores.

DIRECTIONS

Combine ingredients and pour over ice. Garnish with pineapple.

NOTES

THE ORIGINS

The story behind the Mango Mai Tai is a humble one.  Hualalai’s assistant room’s division manager, Lanikai Lindsey, was in search of a new tropical cocktail amenity to welcome our tired guests to the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai that had a little taste of “Aloha”.  Lanikai needed the drink to be both tasty and refreshing, but simple enough for the front desk to make.

FRANK’S CREATION

“I love this type of challenge. It gets my creative juices flowing (sorry about the pun). I recommend using a shot of Cruzan mango rum (1.5 oz.) and Pass-O-Guava juice aka POG juice.  POG is the juice every keiki in Hawaii grows up drinking. It’s as “Hawaiian” as it gets. The Cruzan mango rum is for the “kick”. I once served this cocktail at a banquet function at the resort, and it got rave reviews from all the guests. The POG juice comes pre-made by the gallon. We add Cruzan mango rum. Simple.  That’s why I gave Lanikai that recipe and then didn’t give the drink a second thought.

Shortly thereafter, guests started sending back the regular Mai Tai we make at Beach Tree.  They wanted the “Mango Mai  Tai” they got at check in. All the bartenders were confused. What “Mango Mai Tai?” You see, I never actually named the drink.  Lanikai must have come up with the name Mango Mai Tai. It took the bartenders awhile to figure out what was going on. What was going on was my humble drink was a hit!”

-Frank Weiser

 ABOUT FRANK

Frank Weiser has been a bartender at the Beach Tree Bar, since the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai opened on the Big Island in 1996. He’s a great guy and makes everyone feel welcome, as guests gather for nightly sunset on the beach.

– The Gourmet Review