FSR June 2023

Behind the Scenes BY MALINA SEENARINE

Crafting Farm-Driven Cocktails

A MOCHA MARTINA (LEFT) IS ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW BAR MANAGER MARI HOWE (RIGHT) IS ELEVATING THE BEVERAGE PROGRAM AT MAUI’S PACIFIC’O ON THE BEACH BY USING INGREDIENTS FROM THE RESTAURANT’S O’O FARM, SUCH AS FRESH COFFEE BEANS.

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 co owner 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 ingre dients 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 restau rant 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 sophis ticated 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 vegeta bles, 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 inno vative 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 cock tail 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 pop ular and that the guests really enjoyed

SPENCER STARNES / PACIFIC’O ON THE BEACH

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JUNE 2023