Tropical Drinks on Oahu, Hawaii – My Top Four Favorites

There are some great things that come in fours, but my most recent favorite four things come in the form of liquids drinks, lol. I am not a huge drinker, but we were on Oahu, in December of 2016, and how can you not like all the amazing tropical drinks on the islands? While many were good, there were four that stood out to me more than the other drinks.  I think I drank six months’ worth of drinks I would usually drink all in one week, lol.

If you ask someone to name three or four famous tropical drinks in Hawaii, one of the most likely mentioned will be a Mai Tai. I like rum and pineapple juice, so how can you go wrong? Interestingly, “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”; but the drink is spelled as two words, sometimes hyphenated or capitalized. Here is a recipe for a typical Mai Tai. We flew first-class one time to the islands due to an airline mishap, and we were handed a fresh Mai Tai as we boarded the plane. What a wonderful welcome :).

Mai Tai: Mix Ingredients

• 1 ¼ oz. Light Rum
• ½ oz. Orgeat Syrup
• ½ oz. Orange Curacao
• 2 oz. Lemon Juice
• 2 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. Dark Rum Float

The Pina Colada is my second favorite of all these tropical drinks. Made with rum, coconut cream or coconut milk, and pineapple juice, it is incredibly refreshing. The name piña colada literally means “strained pineapple”, a reference to the freshly pressed and strained pineapple juice used in the drink’s preparation. Even though it is extremely famous in the Hawaiian Islands, it is stated that it was created in Puerto Rico, has been their national drink since 1978. Here is a list of ingredients:

Pina Colada: Blend Ingredients

• 3-4 Fresh Pineapple Chunks
• 3-4 oz. Coco Lopez Coconut Syrup
• 1 ¼ oz. Dark Rum

Another interesting tropical drink is the Blue Hawaii drink. The Blue Hawaii drink was invented in 1957 by Harry Yee, legendary head bartender of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. However, it was also made well known by Elvis in 1961 due to his movie called Blue Hawaii. Regardless of how it got its name, it’s pretty darn good. Here is the recipe below.

Blue Hawaii: Mix Ingredients

• 3/4 oz. Rum
• 3/4 oz. Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Blue Caracao
• 3 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. Sweet & Sour
• Ice (optional)

Another one of my favorite drinks on the islands is the Strawberry Daiquiri. It is typically served frozen. Rum, lime, simple syrup, and several strawberries, combined with ice and blended until smooth. The drink was supposedly invented by an American mining engineer named Jennings Cox, who was in Cuba at the time of the Spanish–American War.

Strawberry Daiquiri: Mix Ingredients

• 4 oz. light rum
• 1/2 c. fresh strawberries, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1  (10-oz.) bag frozen strawberries, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Sliced lime, for garnish

The first three tropical drinks are good, and I enjoy them, however my favorite by far is the Lava Flow. It is half pina colada and half strawberry daiquiri. Can you say YUM? Lol   It is one of the best drinks you will find on the islands or anywhere. I have had people make them here on the mainland, but they never taste quite the same as they do in Hawaii. They may be close, but just not the same. Here is a recipe for these amazing drinks.

Lava Flow: Blend Ingredients

1 oz. coconut rum
1 oz. light rum
1/2 banana
2 oz. pineapple juice
2 oz. coconut cream
2 oz. frozen strawberries

I am sad to be back on the mainland and not able to have these wonderful tropical drinks as often as I’d like, but it’s probably a good thing, lol. However, it is one of the joys of being able to travel and spend some time in Hawaii to partake of these while there. So for now, I will relish the memories and look forward to our next trip. If you are planning to go soon, I would definitely try these while there. You won’t be disappointed.