How to Have a Hawaiian-Style Happy Hour

Around here we take Aloha Friday pretty seriously, and during the summertime it is almost mandatory. During a period like the current one, when work and home are one and the same, it is especially important to draw the line for the end of the week. 

Some weeks it is as simple as drinking a Mai Tai. Other times we go the distance and make Huli Huli Chicken and Macaroni Salad. Five o’clock comes and our favorite Pandora station, based on “Island Music” by Bruddah Kuz, fills the backyard with easy, breezy music.

I am fortunate to have a resident mixologist who has committed himself to exploring the many Mai Tai versions, especially those featured in The New-Wave Mai Tai by Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi. We haven’t tried them all because sometimes the ingredients are exotic and can only be found in Hawaii. I’ve also discovered that I am allergic to almond and have to modify my Mai Tai to remove the orgeat syrup. Luckily, I finally found a replacement with Pono Potions Mac Nut Syrup which can be found in our current summer box.

Our resident mixologist, Clay Fiske (@helivesaloha).

In California, at least, it is relatively easy to stock your bar with Hawaiian favorites. Most stores carry Koloa Rum or Pau Vodka. More and more stores are carrying POG or lilikoi (aka yellow passion fruit) juice. Places like Trader Joe’s often have small cans of mango or pineapple juice.

Clay has made a list of what he considers the happy hour essentials:

• Rums: At least one each of light, gold, dark

• Vodka

• Mixers: Orange Curaçao, Orgeat Syrup, Simple Syrup

• Juices: Pineapple, Orange, Lemon, Lime, Lilikoi, Mango

• Fruit/Garnish: Pineapple, Maraschino Cherries, Lime

Clay’s preferred Mai Tai recipe comes from drinksmixer.com, which offers many other Mai Tai variations. For me, in place of the Orgeat, he adds simple syrup, Triple Sec, or double Orange Curaçao, depending on what we have on hand.

Not everyone wants to stock all the ingredients, so we stock up on SoHa Living’s Mai Tai and Hawaiian Hurricane mixes. We often add some POG for a bit more of the tropical flavors when we use them. Another ready-made Mai Tai mix we love is Kukui, hand-crafted on Kauai since 1931.

The other key ingredient to a good happy hour is your Ohana. With takeout from Hawaiian barbecue places, having a crowd over can be easy. All you need is a couple of orders of Chicken Katsu and Spam Musubi to accompany your drinks.

If you are hosting a Hawaii-themed party soon, consider getting our party in a box with everything you need to host, including Easy Hawaiian Cookbook by Chef Philip "Ippy" Aiona.

The Hawaii at Home has everything to get your party started.