With miles of breathtaking beaches, enormous volcanoes, lush rainforests, and barren deserts, Hawaii encapsulates every form of beauty mother nature has to offer.
Along with its spectacular sunsets and whale watching, the second largest Hawaiian island, Maui, is famous for its farm-to-table cuisine. One of the island’s hotspot villages, Lahaina (luh·hai·nuh), is home to Pacific’o On The Beach, a restaurant that offers guests the purest taste of Hawaii.
Unparalleled beach views of Lahaina and relaxed culinary sophistication have made Pacific’o the pinnacle of Maui farm-to-table dining for nearly thirty years. Now, under the creative direction of original partner Louis Coulombe and Michele and Qiana Di Bari, a refreshed and revitalized Pacific’o on the Beach has emerged.
This new vision of Pacific’o is a place where every day is a special occasion to be celebrated. And with the visionary culinary leadership of Chef Isaac Bancaco, seasonal contemporary dishes are reinterpreted and inspired by hyper-local ingredients, a friendly aloha crew, creative bar program, and dynamic wine program with the best view in town.
Pacific’o one-of-a-kind beverage program uses ingredients from O’o Farm, which has been the restaurant’s very own for two decades now. The menu’s inspiration comes directly from the beauty and resources provided by Maui. Some of the unique flavors present in the selections include macadamia nut orgeat, liliko’i (passionfruit), and farm fresh lemongrass.
“With over 20 years of bartending experience myself, I’ve learned people drink with their eyes first, so we work to create beautiful cocktails that are pleasing to all the senses. Our menu consists of seasonal beverages and modern “Hawaiian” twists on classics such as the Old Fashioned, Paloma and Mai Tai,” says Mari Howe, Bar Manager at Pacific’o.
The drink menu’s cultural reach extends beyond that of Hawaii’s as well. “Some of the beverages I create also have Japanese influence as that’s where my grandmother is from. When I first visited Japan, I was immediately inspired by their attention to detail and the creative presentation of food and drinks. That’s something I’ve tried to bring to Pacific’o,” Howe explained.
The relationship between Pacific’o and its surrounding community is sublime thanks to localized sourcing. As local farmers are benefited from a business standpoint, in turn, guests are able to eat comfortably knowing their food is fresh as can be.
Chilled asked Bar Manager about mixing with local ingredients and why its important.
Talk to us about the local flavor profile/inspiration of the area.
Our cocktails use local ingredients and flavors such as macadamia nut orgeat, liliko’i (passionfruit) and farm fresh lemongrass to name a few. Many of the syrups we use are house made with ingredients sourced locally.
What should bartenders know about using fresh local ingredients?
It can keep you on your toes as what’s available one season may not be accessible during the next, but that’s also what makes it exciting. Having a program that utilizes fresh ingredients is a labor of love that requires a lot of time and dedication by your entire bar team. Sometimes we do also source from other local companies. For example, we get our macadamia nut orgeat from Sugarcane Dane (a local Maui company). We love to support other local businesses and making orgeat can be very labor intensive. It feels like a win-win when we support friends that make a quality product and can also save our bar staff a few hours of precious prep time.
What are the benefits?
Using local ingredients is a great way to support the community. It benefits our local farmers and our guests as many enjoy knowing they are consuming fresh ingredients. It helps build relationships with the community and visitors as you’re able to tell the story behind the creation and how it came to be – connecting guests to such a special place.
What else should bartenders know?
When making syrups from fresh juice, it helps to always strain your juices as I’ve found it prolongs the life of the syrups. When using a juicer, a nut bag can come in handy to strain the pulp and get the most out of your fruits – this works particularly well for ginger and pineapple. People oftentimes throw away the pulp, but you will be surprised how much more juice you can get when you squeeze it through a nut bag!
Mari’s TIPS for creating a menu using local ingredients:
- When creating a menu from local farm ingredients, sometimes you must let the farm come to you. We often wait to see what is growing in abundance on the island, then we create a cocktail to utilize what we have. Our Farm Fresh cocktail changes weekly, and sometimes daily depending on what’s growing. For our house cocktails, we try to utilize ingredients that are available year-round.
- You will be surprised at the versatility and different flavor profiles you can get from a single fruit such as the pineapple. We use it in a variety of ways from tropical drinks like Mafia’s Vacation to spirit forward drinks like the Maui Gold Fashioned.
- Make friends with you neighbors.
- Create a calendar for seasonal fruit in your area. This will help you plan your menu ahead of time and allows space to get creative with the recipes, names, etc.
- To ensure your citrus stays fresh, make lemonade so it doesn’t get over two days old
The Butterfly Effect
An original recipe made with Lemongrass sourced from Pacific’o’s O’o Farm.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Suntory Roku Japanese Gin
- 1/2 oz lemongrass syrup (sourced from O’o Farm)
- 1/2 oz fresh ginger syrup
- 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 oz St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
- Butterfly Pea Tea infused with jasmine to float
Preparation: Combine all ingredients, except for the butterfly jasmine tea. Shake and strain over ice into a Collins glass. Top with pebble ice and add a float of butterfly jasmine tea. Garnish with fresh lemongrass and candied ginger.
The Pua Loma
Hawaiian variation of a Paloma; “Pua” means “flower” in Hawaiian.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Corazon Blanco Tequila
- 3/4 oz fresh pineapple syrup
- 1/2 oz Giffard Pamplemousse Rosé
- 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
- Soda to top
Preparation: Combine all ingredients, except soda, and shake in a mixing tin. Add a splash of soda and pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with a fresh slice of ruby red grapefruit and a Pua (flower).
Butterfly Mocktail
Ingredients:
- 3/4 oz macadamia nut orgeat
- 3/4 oz pineapple-lilikoi syrup
- 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- A float of butterfly jasmine tea
Preparation: Add all the ingredients to a glass and add filtered or sparkling water (whichever you prefer). Top with butterfly jasmine tea. Garnish with fresh edible flowers and a pineapple frond.
The post Sense of Paradise: Using Local Ingredients with Bar Manager Mari Howe appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
