Barfly: To-go cocktails bring Honolulu bar experience home

Most people would agree that COVID-19 has brought about changes that won’t go away, even after the threat passes.

The local food and beverage industry, like tourism, is expected to take an extended beating, as a vast majority of businesses have closed during this lockdown.

A handful of bars have stuck it out, taking advantage of state corkage laws that allow for resealed bottles of alcohol to be taken home with customers. A supplemental emergency proclamation issued by Gov. David Ige helped loosen up the rules a little more, making it legal to sell unopened bottles with takeout food orders.

But is that enough? And what happens when restaurants, bars and lounges are given the go-ahead to resume serving dine-in customers — but are only allowed to operate at 30% of full capacity?

And what about bar employees who have managed to make it through the state’s unemployment system to collect payouts higher than the wages they can expect to make in the months ahead? There will be fewer shifts to work, and fewer customers who will have less money to spend.

The Honolulu Liquor Commission, to its credit, is doing its best to keep licensees informed while also providing a bit of relief. A new amnesty program, in effect through Oct. 31, allows businesses that aren’t in compliance with certain liquor laws to remedy the situation without “enforcement repercussion” by the commission. It has also taken steps to assist liquor industry employees by providing an automatic 90-day extension for all liquor ID cards that expire during the lockdown.

BUT AGAIN, will all this be enough? At Bevy in Kakaako, owner Christian Self has spent the last few weeks trying to figure out how to keep his business from going under, while still keeping his focus on the guest experience amid the craziness.

“I’m not going to force myself to panic open, then somebody comes in and they’re asymptomatic,” Self said last week by phone. “And then they get the staff sick and the guests sick. That’s like the death kiss. Nobody is going to be in your place after that.”

With assistance from the federal loan program established to help businesses affected by the coronavirus, Bevy reopened last week for takeout cocktails served via the storefront of its sister business, Taco’ako, next door. Self spends his mornings working on Bevy’s interior, the first renovation in the bar’s seven-year existence, then spends afternoons creating his bar’s signature cocktails for guests to enjoy at home.

“If you go to the liquor store and you want to make a Last Word, you’re going to buy a bottle of gin, a bottle of green chartreuse, a bottle of maraschino liqueur and a bunch of limes,” Self explained. “That’s going to set you back like $150 bucks, at least.

“But you come to Bevy, we’ve got the Last Word in a bag for you. It’s six to eight portions of a cocktail, and that’s going to cost you $60. You’re getting our homemade ingredients, the freshest stuff and highest-end liquors we can possibly give you, and presenting it in an accessible way that’s not going to break the bank.”

BEVY’S NEW to-go program features two sizes of drinks-in-a-bag; small bags ($20-$24) include two to three drinks, while large bags ($50-$60) will serve six. Complete cocktail kits are also available for $60 each. Pickups are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; email info@bevyhawaii.com with orders from the menu, which is posted on the bar’s Instagram account, @bevybar.

Classic Bevy cocktails, like the bar’s takes on a margarita, daiquiri and Manhattan, are available alongside house specialties that include the Joan of Arc, Beautiful Agony and New Sensation; cocktail kit options include a gin and tonic, Old-Fashioned and paloma kits featuring Bombay Sapphire gin, High West Double Rye whiskey and Hornitos Reposado tequila.

“As long as we’re able to open and do takeout cocktails, we will stick with doing that,” Self said. We’re going to work with KS (landlord Kamehameha Schools) to see how we can survive and … (how) it can work for both parties.”

Still, despite any bar’s best efforts to keep things going, it all hinges on customers actively making the decision to support them. If you have a favorite watering hole that has managed to reopen (or stay open) during these difficult times, strap on that mask and pay a visit. It matters.

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