A sunny, sandy vacation: Unarguably a good thing. The cocktails on a sunny, sandy vacation? No guarantees. Unfortunately, what the U.S. has come to view as “island drinks” are often so sweet you might as well be doing a line of Pixy Stix.
So when a friend suggested grabbing a round at Mahalo, a new Hawaiian-themed bar in Wicker Park, I figured I’d stick to wine. You can’t screw that up with too much pineapple juice.
But a smart move by the bartenders behind the cocktail list changed my mind: There, hiding under the pina colada and mai tai and electric-blue Maui mule, was a drink with just four ingredients: gin, pineapple juice, lime juice and the game-changer: green chartreuse, an herbal liqueur made by monks in France. Bittersweet and vegetal, it’s not a typical beach-drink ingredient — exactly why I was interested.
Verdict? Unarguably a good thing.
Dubbed the Hula Kula, the drink starts with a base of Ford’s gin — one of my favorites because it’s so balanced; you’re not drinking a bouquet of juniper. The pineapple juice brings a sweet edge, but it’s tempered nicely by the chartreuse and the tart acidity from the lime.
Mahalo’s decor is also spot-on for what you want out of a Hawaiian bar. Palm fronds and bright blues and whites give you immediate vacation brain, especially when you can snag a seat under a thatched umbrella on the sunny rooftop. Another round? The answer is always yes.
Mahalo, 1501 N. Milwaukee Ave., 708-328-3091, www.mahalochicago.com
[email protected]
Twitter @marissa_conrad
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