From Behind the Bar with Mari Howe

Mari Howe has been the Bar Manager at Pacific’o on the Beach since 2021. Born and raised in Hawaii, she has been in the food and beverage industry since she was 16. During her college years at Arizona State University, she worked in restaurants and bars. Since earning her bachelor’s degree in communications, she has continued to work in the industry and became a member of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild which afforded her opportunities to travel around the world for cocktail education and to create valuable relationships and networks.

How would you describe your bar?
Our bar at Pacific’o on the Beach is a local farm driven program that utilizes fresh ingredients from our restaurant's own farm, O’o Farm, as well as other locally sourced ingredients.

What drink have you added to the menu recently?
The Golden Katana is a fun cocktail that I added to the menu. I wanted to have a special presentation for a high-end Japanese whisky cocktail, as well as offer something that would give the guest an experience and a souvenir to take home. The guest gets to keep the stainless steel Katana sword as a souvenir!

The Golden Katana Recipe

1.5 oz Hibiki Japanese Whisky

0.5 oz Averna Amaro

0.25 oz Kaiyo The Peated Japanese Whisky

1 bar spoon Maui Gold Pineapple Demerara

2 dashes Black Walnut bitters

Stir and serve chilled over a large clear ice sphere. Garnish: Dehydrated Pineapple and Luxardo Cherry on a mini Katana Sword. Finish with expressed lemon and orange peel.

How do you stay up to date with current drink trends?

Ideally, I love to travel and get inspired. Visiting Japan was a huge inspiration for me, as far as presentation and attention to detail. I also love reading and collecting cocktail books. I get a lot of inspiration for new ideas from my Flavor Bible.

Which new (or new to you) spirits brand(s) have you been using lately and why?

A spirit brand I really enjoy using lately is Giffard Liqueurs. I like that the flavors taste more natural than most other flavored liqueurs I’ve tried. They complement the fresh fruits we use and add an extra depth of flavor to a cocktail.

What would you change about the industry if you could?
There’s nothing I would necessarily change about our industry, but more so I’ve learned that there are a lot of different styles of “bartending” depending where you are. I used to wish that everyone could use fresh ingredients in every cocktail, but then I realized not everywhere has the same resources or even time and labor to do so. I feel fortunate to live on an island where we have lots of beautiful fresh ingredients at our fingertips, but I also keep in mind you wouldn’t necessarily expect “craft cocktails” at a dive bar, and a lot of people are happy with that too.

Who’s your favorite bartender or mentor and why?
I have to say my friend Jason Asher was the most influential bar mentor for me. I grew up in Maui, but went to school at Arizona State University, so I got my start bartending in Arizona. When I worked with Jason and the bar team at Counter Intuitive, he taught me a lot about making syrups and spirit infusions from fresh ingredients. We had a menu and theme at our bar that changed every six months, so we had to come up with new ideas as a team to fit each new theme. I learned a lot about cocktail balance and the process of R&D to come up with new menus.

How often do you customize cocktails for your guests?
All the time. I love to hear what guests enjoy drinking and creating a cocktail for them based on their favorite cocktail. We have a “Farm Fresh Cocktail” that changes daily or weekly depending on what the farm brings in or what is abundant in season. Sometimes at the bar we can offer multiple “Farm Cocktail” options since we sometimes have a few different Farm cocktails in the week.

Your garnishes on your Instagram account Drink With Your Eyes 1st are stunning! What inspires you in creating them?
My first trip to Japan really inspired me to do fun garnishes. I loved some of the presentations of the food there. Sometimes they would take a vegetable or fruit and cut it in the shape of a flower. It was fun, and made each dish feel extra special. My grandmother is from Japan, and she was very artistic in the way she set her table and presented her food as well. She always had beautiful glassware and dishes. She made me more conscious of presentation and detail

What drinks are most popular at your bar lately?
I am noticing more and more people enjoying mezcal cocktails. I personally love mezcal and all agave spirits, but in the past it seemed people were scared of the ”smoky” flavor. Recently, we have been selling a lot of the “Oaxacan Upcountry” made with mezcal, fresh Kula strawberry, local liime and Luxardo Amaro Abano.

Any techniques that you’ve been experimenting with?
I’ve been experimenting with “milk punch” at home. It seems to be a popular trend, and I was just curious about them.

What jigger do you use and why?
I like to use the Japanese Style jigger that has the ¼ mark included in one jigger. I like the slender shape and having one Jigger with all the marks starting from ¼ -2oz.

What fresh ingredients do you love using from Maui?

Starfruit is something unique that is very abundant when in season. I use the fresh starfruit juice in my “Star of the Show” cocktail, which is made with Fortaleza Blanco, Maui Gold pineapple, fresh starfruit, mint, local lime and Cocchi Americano. For an alcohol-free cocktail, we do a “Virgin Starfruit Lemonade” made with fresh starfruit, Meyer lemon from O’o Farm, and fresh local orange. garnished with starfruit and mint. I also found that pickled starfruit is really delicious and makes a beautiful garnish. We pickle the starfruit with ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon, star anise and turmeric. The pickled starfruit juice goes in our “Life’s A Peach” cocktail. Pickling also extends the life of the fruit when we can’t use it fast enough fresh!

Profiles, Cocktails, SpiritsAmy ShermanMay 30, 2023bartendersComment