Hawaiian Holiday Cocktails
I don’t know about you but I am sure missing the Hawaiian Islands right now. My husband and I decided to renew our wedding vows in Maui on Dec 20, 2016 so the holidays and Hawaii have great memories for us. We don’t usually travel for the holidays unless it is to see our family in Sweden but that only happens every 7 years or so. However, traveling to Hawaii for the holidays more often might be in our future when we can all travel again safely!
I have sampled many fun Hawaiian cocktails over the years so I thought it would be fun to share these recipes from Hawaii Magazine with you! They also shared a great Hawaiian Holiday Playlist on Spotify so crank up the volume and make a few of these cocktails to get you into the holiday spirit. Let me know which cocktail you try and which one you like the best if you try them all!
Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) Mai Tai
Recipe courtesy of mixologist and blogger Shanna Schad. Go to her blog for the original recipe. She made her drink with Koloa Rum which you might be able to find at your local liquor store. However, you can use any rum equivalent that you can find.
Ingredients (Makes two cocktails*)
2 oz. Koloa Gold Rum
2 oz. Koloa Spiced Rum
1 oz. orange curacao
1 oz. orgeat
2 oz. lime juice
1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. cranberry juice
1/2 oz. concentrated simple syrup**
6 to 8 drops Tiki Bitters
1 oz. Koloa Dark Rum
Garnish
Simple syrup
Sugar (Koloa Coconut Rum Sugar)
Sugar cane swizzle stick
Sugared cranberry skewer
Mint Pineapple slices
Instructions
Fill two large rocks glasses all the way with crushed or pebble ice. Add the gold and spiced rums. Add the remaining cocktail ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until well chilled then divide between the glasses. Float a little dark rum on the top of the drinks then garnish with the pineapple, sugared cranberry skewers, sugar can swizzle stick and a large sprig of mint. Serve immediately.
*This recipe can be made into larger amounts for a party. I would suggest combining the orgeat, curacao, juices and bitters into a pitcher or large jar and keeping chilled until ready to use. Make drinks as stated above starting with the rums, add thing the juices and then the float of dark rum.
**For a more concentrated simple syrup either use 1 1/2 C sugar to 1 cup water or 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water and heat until the sugar is completely melted and the syrup has thickened. Chill completely before using.
Pear Pineapple Spiced Rum Cider
Recipe courtesy of mixologist and blogger Shanna Schad. Go to her blog for the original recipe. She made her drink with Koloa Rum which you might be able to find at your local liquor store. However, you can use any rum equivalent that you can find.
Ingredients (Makes two cocktails)
4 oz. Koloa Spiced Rum
6 oz. pear cider* (non-alcoholic)
3 oz. pineapple juice
1 T. Meyer lemon juice
Garnish
2 T. simple syrup**
2 T. cinnamon sugar
Thinly sliced pear rings
Thinly sliced pineapple wedges
Instructions
Pour the simple syrup into a shallow dish and the cinnamon sugar into another shallow dish. Dip rims of glasses into simple syrup, then into cinnamon sugar. Let dry. In a cocktail shaker add ice and combine the cocktail ingredients. Shake well and strain into two cocktail glasses. I used coupe champagne glasses. Garnish with thin slices of pear and pineapple.
This is also delicious served warm: Heat the pear cider, pineapple and lemon juice in a saucepan until steaming, but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the rum. Pour into two glasses and serve immediately. *If you can’t find non-alcoholic pear cider, pear juice or pear nectar can be substituted. Just add in a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg for to make it “cider” (about 1/8 tsp each).
**Simple Syrup is a 1:1 water to sugar ratio. Boil equal parts until sugar is dissolved then let cool completely. Syrup stores well in refrigerator up to a month.
Coconut Coffee Coquito
Recipe courtesy of Honolulu based blogger Kait Hanson. Go to her blog for the original recipe. She made her drink with Koloa Rum which you might be able to find at your local liquor store. However, you can use any rum equivalent that you can find.
Ingredients (Makes two cocktails*)
2 oz. coconut cream
1 oz. sweetened condensed coconut milk
1 oz. evaporated coconut milk
1 oz. coconut milk
2 oz. Koloa Kauai Coffee Rum
Dash vanilla and nutmeg
Garnish
Nutmeg Cinnamon
Instructions
In a shaker with ice, combine coconut cream, sweetened condensed coconut milk, evaporated coconut milk, and coconut milk. Shake well. Open the shaker and pour in Koloa Kauai Coffee Rum with just a dash of vanilla and nutmeg. Gently shake. Strain in a coupe glass and garnish with nutmeg and cinnamon.
*I think one of the very best details about this particular recipe is that it can be made as an individual cocktail, like the above calls for, or made in a large batch and enjoyed over time. Just make sure you refrigerate everything!
Originally Published Dec 23, 2020
