You can’t cross a threshold in Hawaii without bumping into a Mai Tai, that classic tiki cocktail of tropical juices and rum with a teensy umbrella on top. You quickly learn that some are better than others. Some are too sweet, some overpowered by the flavor of cheap, dark rum. But at Duke’s Canoe Club Kauai, www.dukeskauai.com I met the perfect Mai Tai. It’s a variation on the classic, but it’s insanely good.
Nadine’s Mai Tai, pictured below with the blue umbrella, is described on the Duke’s menu as 15 ounces of frozen, blended Hawaiian juices, passion fruit, premium rums and, the secret ingredient, vanilla cream liqueur. Passion fruit, aka lilikoi, has a complex flavor profile that when combined with the vanilla cream produces something … mystical. Paradise in a glass.
Duke’s, by the way, is a nice surprise in itself. It’s located at the Marriott in Lihue on Kauai but it doesn’t feel like a hotel restaurant and its menu is full of reasonably priced choices. The very good salad bar is included in the price of your entrée, most priced between $12 and $22. We sampled the mango barbecue baby back ribs, prime rib, fish tacos and the sinful Kimo’s Original Hula Pie. Best of all, well, after the Nadine’s Mai Tais, is the view of beautiful Kalapaki Beach.
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