New Spring Drinks at Mahina & Sun’s to Start Your Day Off Right

Four new breakfast cocktails at The Surfjack’s restaurant bring some fun to your morning meal.

May 12, 2017

Katrina Valcourt,

(From Left) the Italian-inspired Bella Mattina, the Smokey Mary and the Lavender lady are just three of the new spring cocktails available at Mahina & Sun’s.

Photos: Courtesy of Aja Toscano, Mahina & Sun’s

If you haven’t yet been to the ultra-hip Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club in Waikīkī, there are four new reasons to stop by. Robert Bidigare, bar lead of hotel restaurant Mahina & Sun’s, has created a fresh, creative menu of breakfast cocktails to start your day out right—and there’s not a mimosa in sight.

Bidigare, who previously worked at Proof Public House and other Downtown establishments before coming onboard the Surfjack team when it opened in April of 2016, says that Mahina & Sun’s has been doing a lot of fun stuff in the morning (including ‘ulu pancakes, fresh scones and kicked-up avocado toast), “but none of it was alcohol related, which I think is a crime.” So he came up with four new cocktails ($12 each) that range from light and fruity to spicy to indulgent, each dangerously gulpable.

The first two we tried, both topped with cava (a sparkling wine, not to be confused with kava), were the invigorating Lavender Lady and the Tokyo 75. Bidigare says that lavender makes him think of Maui, which adds a local touch to the drink, and the lightness of the lavender bitters is elevated by the soft cava bubbles. Bidigare also adds vodka, lemon and a house-made rosemary simple syrup. “Nothing says spring to me more than lavender and rosemary,” he says.

The Tokyo 75, which features an earthy ume shochu, gin, lemon and lemongrass simple syrup, is nice and fruity but not saccharine, thanks to the acidity of the lemon and the addition of cava. Bubbles go well in the morning, Bidigare says, which makes these two cocktails extremely drinkable.

Don’t be mistaken, though—they have plenty of alcohol in them. They just don’t taste like alcohol, so sip slowly.

Bidigare’s take on a bloody mary is the Smokey Mary, which gets its name from the charred and smoked Kamuela tomatoes that serve as the drink’s base. “I get to burn something and make a fire, which is a good day for me,” he says. Vodka and lemon temper the spiciness of the chili-pepper water and Adoboloco’s Hamajang hot sauce.

Of the four, our favorite was the Italian-inspired Bella Mattina, featuring Caffe Luxxe espresso from Santa Monica, vodka, lemongrass simple syrup, a lemon twist that adds dimension to the drink, and a scoop of vanilla gelato from La Gelateria. Because, if you’re drinking poolside, you might as well pretend you’re on vacation and indulge a little.

The cocktails will be on the menu starting next week—but you can already order them. Since you’re in the know.

412 Lewers St., (808) 924-5810, mahinaandsuns.com