At RumFire, the new restaurant that just raised the bar on casual fine dining on Kaua‘i, the artists behind the uber-trendy but refreshingly spacious and friendly bar have created drinks that are no less than fine art in a glass. This, of course, did not prevent us from drinking their unique twists on cocktails. Drinks are not made for framing at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort in Poi‘pu.
The RumFire Mango Mojito is a beautiful, frozen blend of Cruzan aged light rum with mango puree, lime sour and mint. This is a mojito that has gone to heaven and come back to please our palates. It is light, with just a subtle touch of sweetness and unexpectedly perfect blend of mango and mint. Bravo! No, bravissimo!
A little lighter on the tongue is the refreshing Coco Cucumber Fresh. It’s made with Kai Coconut Schochu, Thatchers organic cucumber liqueur, muddled cucumber, lime and coconut water. It’s a fun way to finish off a day at the beach.
Ah, but the true test is the Mai Tai. This is a Hawaiian classic, and we all have our favorites. The RumFire Signature Mai Tai is just that — a truly signature drink. It’s made with Old Lahaina Silver Rum, passion fruit, honey, orange Curacao liqueur, lime, pineapple juice and a float of Old Lahaina dark rum. That’s a lot of ingredients, but it works. The honey is the magical ingredient, we think, with just the right measure of additional ingredients to make it — well, sublime. A thin half-moon of fresh pineapple crowns the tall glass in which it’s served. Four star!
We like wine, and we don’t always like to order a bottle. Alas, too many restaurants feature a choice of two or three wines by the glass. Not here. RumFire offers eight red wines by the glass, and they are well chosen — from the Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir of Santa Barbara to the Justin Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, a Blackbilly “GSM” Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre from Australia and a Penfolds “Thomas Hyland” Shiraz from Australia.
There are seven choices of white wines by the glass from the U.S. (California), New Zealand, Germany and Italy, plus two sparkling selections by the glass.
The drinks menu also offers a lively Sangria Baya, made with red wine, Cruzan Strawberry Rum, strawberry puree, fresh citrus and tropical juices.
