Sippin' Mele-Kalikimaka Style

For my birthday this year, we decide to do something a little different. Since the cold seems to be sticking around, we decided to hit up the new tiki bar right around the the corner from office, Lani Kai.

This new hotspot is the brainchild of Hawaiian-born, cocktail maven Julie Reiner. And like all Reiner establishments, the cocktails are absolutely out of this world. I think between the nine of us, we had one of everything on the menu. Here's a sampling:

8 Days a Week (my personal favorite): Haitian, Jamaican and Guyanan Rums, toasted coconut milk, demerara, vanilla syrup and Donn's spices.

Pacific Swizzle: white rum infused with rosehip, lemongrass and hibiscus tea, lime juice and passion fruit.

Hotel California: Dried apricot infused Old Tom gin, pisco, lime, pineapple juice, toasted almond orgeat, and Peychaud's bitters.

Leilani's Fizz: Gin, lychee, lime juice, lemongrass syrup and club soda.

Isle of Islay Swizzle (another fave): blended scotch, coconut liqueur, house falernum, passion fruit, and lemon juice.

The Lone Palm: Gin, ginger syrup, melon, basil, lime juice.

E Kipa Mai: Mezcal, agave syrup, pineapple, lime juice and amara.

The Maya Well: Raspberry tea infused blanco tequila, ginger, pineapple, and lime juice.

And of course, we needed to try a Mai Tai: aged Martinique and Jamaican rums, lime juice, toasted almond orgeat and curacao.