A mighty Mule provides cocktail win

In covering the local bar scene for more than a decade, I’ve attended my fair share of cocktail competitions. Usually it’s the same cast of characters who sign up, but I was pleasantly surprised to walk into Sky Waikiki’s Master of the Mule contest and recognize only a couple of participants.

Sponsored by Ketel One, the competition serves as a showcase for the vodka brand around the country. Ten Oahu bartenders competed May 8 to display their ability to transform the traditional Moscow Mule into something special. Among venues represented were the Modern Honolulu, Noi Thai Cuisine, Scratch Kitchen and the Kahala Hotel & Resort, but it was 12th Ave Grill’s Ben Flores who took first place — and a $1,000 check — for his Little Horse on the Prairie.

Flores combined Ketel One with Fever Tree ginger beer and added rose water, rose hips and turmeric in his winning recipe. Stripsteak’s Raymundo Delgado took home second place and $500 for his Hard Tail Mule flavored with ginger beer, yuzu, kumquat and ice made from fresh tea. Allison Smith from Eating House 1849 in Kapolei finished third and won $250.

MORE WINNERS IN WAIKIKI

Waikiki restaurants continue to raise the bar on the cocktail front.

Sky Waikiki’s director of mixology, Jen Ackrill, is tireless in her efforts to reimagine the drink menu at both Sky and sister restaurant Top of Waikiki. My new favorite is Sky’s Treasure at Kaena Point, which mixes Captain Morgan Black Rum with merlot, grapefruit, cinnamon, lemon, pineapple and Angostura bitters.

“I just wanted (to create) a drink I could put a pirate flag on,” Ackrill deadpanned during a media preview in April. While I was a bit apprehensive trying a cocktail made with merlot, my attitude changed pretty quickly after the first couple of sips.

I’m also a big fan of the retro vibe at the Princess Kaiulani’s Splash Bar. It’s easy to ignore this poolside watering hole, but if you’re into tiki drinks you’ll definitely want to seek this place out. Skip the happy-hour offerings and ask for the tiki menu, which features nine old-school cocktails including the Navy Grog (invented in 1941), Three Dots and a Dash (invented in the 1940s), the Stunned Mullet (a riff on the Zombie, created in 1934) and my favorite, the Fu Man Chi, which is based on the Painkiller, made famous in the 1970s by Pusser’s Royal Navy Rum. They’re all priced at $12, which is pretty reasonable for Waikiki.

Around the corner at the International Market Place, Yauatcha Waikiki is launching a Taster’s Menu, 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays starting in June. Six cocktails will be priced at just $8, with eight dim sum items available for $6 each so you’re not drinking on an empty stomach.

Downstairs at The Street, a Michael Mina Social House, three spots offer happy-hour specials from 3 to 6 p.m. and after 10 p.m. daily; check out Beer for $2 Pabst Blue Ribbons and $5 Jameson Irish Whiskey or Espolon Tequila shots, The Myna Bird for $5 pina coladas and The Bar at Kai Poke for $5 sake bombs and Jungle Juice (liquor-spiked punch).

And over at the Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, Mahina and Sun’s recently introduced a new lineup of “brekkie” cocktails. Lead bartender Robert Bidigare created the Bella Mattina with espresso with Prairie Organic Vodka, and lemon and vanilla gelato from La Gelateria, while his Lavender Lady takes the same vodka and adds rosemary, lemon and Tarantas Cava with an edible violet garnish. Gin fans will like his Tokyo 75 made with Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin, and I can’t wait to try the Smokey Mary, which includes charred Kamuela tomatoes, kiawe- smoked ghost pepper, Adoboloco hot sauce and chili pepper water. Each drink, priced at $12, is available all day by request.

IT’S A CELEBRATION, BABY

Downtown craft beer oasis Square Barrels celebrated two years at Bishop Square last month with a party, of course, but the anniversary also marked the first time the bar tapped its own beer. Owners Hideo Simon and Thomas Ray partnered with Lanikai Brewing to create a house brew, 4-1-1 Golden Ale, along with a test batch of a second recipe, called My Korean Wife IPA. I’ve long been a fan of the food at Square Barrels, so it’s nice to see customers can now grab another locally produced beer to go with the grub. The MKW IPA should be on tap full time by the time you read this column.

Real a Gastropub marked five years across the street from Ward Warehouse on May 20 with a “Back Alley Pa‘ina Celebration” that featured a number of beers typically unavailable in Hawaii. While this is the final anniversary in Kakaako — that part of the Ward complex is set to be demolished later this year — I’m confident owners Troy Terorotua and Lisa Kim will reopen elsewhere. Until then, be sure to visit sister pub Brew’d on Waialae Avenue.

Back in Waikiki, The Hideaway Bar was the quintessential dive bar on Oahu for more than three decades before shutting down in 2016. The bar may not have had the best beer selection, but I always appreciated being able to kick back with a $1 beer during happy hour. I’m happy to report the bar is open once again with a slightly different name: Suzie Wong’s Hideaway.

Under new owner Rob Godaire (who spent 16 years at Cha Cha Cha Salsaria on Oahu and also runs Spanky’s Riptide on Maui and Dolphin Spit Saloon on Hawaii island), operations manager Adam Clarke and a hui of investors, the Hideaway reopened a few weeks ago at 1913 Dudoit Lane. It’s not the dive it once was, either, thanks to a yearlong renovation to bring the building up to code and create a more welcoming environment. A recent visit also turned up a number of local offerings from Maui Brewing and Waikiki Brewing, plus a brand-new bar top made out of reclaimed wood from the lanes of the old Waialae Bowl in Kahala.

And out at Restaurant 604 next to the Arizona Memorial, local homebrewers showed up last week for a public screening of a Hawaii-based episode of “Beerland,” a new docu-series on cable network Vice hosted by Los Angeles’ Golden Road Brewing founder Meg Gill. She was on Oahu to host a viewing party and Q&A session on Thursday, followed by yoga and breakfast on Friday.

“Hawaii is one of my favorite places on Earth — with its unrivaled beauty, access to water, spiritual health and so much more — so (this) episode (is) tough to beat,” said Gill via email. “The homebrewers were similar to the state itself with their creativity, warmth and welcoming attitude, and their beers reflected their personalities: creative and connected to the spirit of Hawaii.”

Jason Genegabus has written about the local bar and drink scenes since 2001. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram or email jason@staradvertiser.com.