The onslaught of tourism to Honolulu in the post-War years rapidly diminished the quality of well-wrought cocktails, as bars, in an effort to keep up with all that demand, turned to canned juices and cheap rum. The role of the city as tropical oasis slinging saccharine drinks in hollowed-out coconuts has persisted since. But over the past few years, a legitimate craft cocktail scene has been percolating just beyond the beach.
This drink, the handiwork of Dave Newman, owner of the welcoming gastropub-meets-craft cocktail hangout Pint + Jigger, is the perfect example of the tropical-classic mashup that has come to define some of the city’s most unique drinks.