Yo Ho, Yo Aloha and a bottle of Rum from Hawaii! While enjoying a mai tai drink at a tropical and lush bar with hula dancers, the bartender recommended Koloa rum, award winning rum being produced on the island of Kauai. He suggested trying the dark rum because it makes the perfect mai tai.
He was right and next on my list was to visit the Koloa Rum store at Kilohana sugar plantation house in Lihue, Kauai.
I drove down the long driveway where the original plantation house still stands, walked past old sugar cane equipment and into the Koloa Rum store just in time for the free tasting session to begin. The young man behind the bar lined up shot glasses and bottles of rum. I knew it would be a fun session. He began his rum talk by telling of all the awards the two year old company had won. Okay, but how do the four varieties really compare to time proven Caribbean rum.
White rum, the basic and mother of the other rums at 80 proof was poured first. A good clean basic rum made with water, sugar and yeast and no aging process, its fresh rum. All the ingredients in their rums are from Hawaii including the vanilla which comes from an orchid plant. The lucky taste testers had a glass of Koloa mai tai mix close by and he told us to pour the unused rums in the mix to make our own mai tai.
This educational lesson was getting more fun because mai tais use dark rum but not everyone knows how to make the perfect mai tai. With our shot glasses in hand, he showed us how to tilt the glass at an angle and pour the rum in so the rum floats on the top. This is the sunset look and here’s another bit of information, never stir a mai tai and don’t drink it through a straw.
Now I know the correct way to make and drink a mai tai in the proper way.
The amber and dark rums have caramelized sugar added to the white rum which changes the color and gives a sweet and smooth taste. Spice rum has nutmeg, cinnamon, honey, brandy and cognac is the best for a rum and coke. A rum for every need and taste.
The tasting ended with samples of their rum cake made with macadamia nuts topped with chocolate rum sauce and everything is available for sale in the gift store.
As the Hawaiian saying goes, “Okole Maluna” or bottoms up, cheers!
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