Island Drinks.
Cold glass, clear standards
POG, mai tais, and drinks that taste better when someone explains what belongs in the glass and what absolutely does not.
19 RECIPES · UPDATED FEBRUARY 2026
Start here
If the drink looks louder than it tastes, it probably needs less garnish and more judgment.
“A useful guide to Hawaiian tropical fruits for drinks tells you what each fruit does in the glass, not just how pretty it looks in a market photo.”
Guide: Hawaiian Tropical Fruits for Drinks & Cocktails
A useful guide to Hawaiian tropical fruits for drinks tells you what each fruit does in the glass, not just how pretty it looks in a market photo.
Talk Story: Tiki Culture and Hawaii – It’s Complicated
Tiki culture and Hawaii overlap in messy ways, and the useful conversation is about what was borrowed, distorted, and still worth questioning now.
Iced Kona Coffee (Local Style) – Hawaii’s Afternoon Pick-Me-Up
Iced Kona coffee should stay bold enough to taste like coffee first, even when condensed milk, coconut, or ice start pulling in their own direction.
The classics
The recipes from this chapter that come up over and over.
Hawaiian Shave Ice Syrup Guide – Make Your Own Tropical Flavors
The best shave ice syrups for home are bright, pourable, and strong enough to flavor fluffy ice without turning the cup into sticky sugar water.
Okolehao Sour – A Cocktail Made with Hawaii’s Own Spirit
Meet Hawaii’s own spirit — okolehao, distilled from the ti plant root, nearly extinct and now revived. This honey-lemon sour cocktail is the perfect introduction to the m...
Mango Mai Tai – A Tropical Twist on Hawaii’s Classic Cocktail
Hawaii’s classic cocktail meets the island’s most abundant fruit — fresh mango muddled into a proper Mai Tai with aged rum, orgeat, and lime. Make it shaken or frozen, bu...
Hawaiian Rum Punch – Easy Tropical Batch Cocktail
The easiest way to serve a crowd — tropical rum, pineapple, guava, and citrus mixed ahead and served from a punch bowl. Make it the night before and let the party pour it...
New here
More from this chapter, in order of when CurtisJ filed it.
Scorpion Bowl – Hawaii’s Ultimate Group Cocktail
The ultimate group cocktail — rum, brandy, fruit juice, and orgeat served in a massive communal bowl with a flaming center. A fixture at Hawaiian tiki bars and Chinese re...
Tropical Itch – The Legendary Waikiki Cocktail with a Back Scratcher
The legendary Waikiki cocktail served with a bamboo back scratcher — dark rum, bourbon, and passion fruit created by the same bartender who invented the Blue Hawaii. Stro...
Li Hing Mui Margarita – Hawaii’s Sweet-Salty Cocktail
A classic margarita rimmed with li hing mui powder and sweetened with li hing simple syrup — Hawaii’s favorite sweet-salty-sour flavor in cocktail form. If you know, you...
Hawaiian Coffee Culture – How to Brew Kona Coffee at Home
The first time I had real Kona coffee—I mean actually fresh, single-estate Kona brewed by a farmer who grew it himself—I understood why people make such a fuss about it....
Coconut Water Mocktail – Tropical Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Not every island drink needs rum in it. I learned that lesson at my cousin’s baby shower a few years back. Half the guests were pregnant, nursing, or underage, and the ot...
Hawaiian Sun Tea – Simple Island Refreshment
There’s something about sun tea that makes you slow down. You set the jar outside in the morning, go about your day, and by afternoon you’ve got something beautiful waiti...
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