Crafting Farm-Driven Cocktails

Bar Manager Mari Howe creates a sustainable beverage program using farm-fresh ingredients at Pacific’o on the Beach.

WHEN MARI HOWE was first invited to work on the beverage program at Pacific’o on the Beach, there were only three cocktails on the menu. After coowner Qiana and Michele Di Bari joined as co-owners and managing partners, Pacific’o was primed for a reimagining of its drink menu. The goal was to develop new cocktails and beverages using ingredients from O’o farm, the restaurant’s 8.5 acres of land that produces fruits and vegetables, which are also used in the dishes. Howe saw this as the perfect opportunity for herself, since the restaurant she previously worked at was on a farm-driven plantation.

Located on the island of Maui in Hawaii, Pacific’o has been around since 1993. It provides guests with a close-up beach view of Lahaina and offers sophisticated cuisine such as Blackened Fresh Catch and Wagyu Beef Short Ribs. O’o farm is located 25 miles away from the restaurant. Sitting 3,500 feet above sea level on the misting slopes of Haleakalā volcano, O’o farm supplies more than 50 crops to the restaurant including vegetables, fruit, herbs, coffee beans, tea, honey, eggs, and olive oil. After two years of being part of the Pacific’o team, Howe is implementing ingredients from the farm into Pacific’o’s cocktails in innovative ways.

What was your approach when creating the new bar menu for Pacific’o on the Beach?

The approach was essentially letting the farms come to us and creating a cocktail that changed daily and sometimes weekly, depending on what was seasonal and available. Sometimes we would just find ways to utilize things—I started doing these farm cocktails and maybe for a week, we would run it, and the staff would get a chance to taste it and sell it to their guests. Then we get feedback and the farm cocktails that were very popular and that the guests really enjoyed