Best For The Beach: Neft
Courtesy of Caskers
Region: Austria | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Lemon, Spice, Vanilla
Four strains of ancient, non-GMO rye and pure Alpine spring water go into this award-winning Austrian vodka. Its light, lemony, and sweet.
Its smoothness, a product of triple distilling and carbon layer filtration makes it great for sipping neat, but its just as good mixed into cocktails. But the best thing about it is its packaging. Inspired by the producers grandfather, a Russian wildcatter, its packaged in a mock oil can, making it lightweight and unbreakable for outdoor imbibing.
Ocean Vodka Organic Farm And Distillery
Ocean Vodka Farm and Distilleryrecently opened The Point, a private event space, 22,000 square foot grassy vista with unparalleled views of the north and south shore of Maui, surrounded by fields of organic sugar cane. Besides weddings and private events, Ocean Vodka offers tours and samplings at its 80 acre farm, located in lower Kula, near Surfing Goat Dairy.
Side Trip To Ocean Vodka And Surfing Goat Dairy
Omaopio Road, which connects Kula to Puunene, didnt have much reason to see visitor traffic, unless you had a particular interest in fancy goat cheese or adorable baby goats. Now, in addition to Surfing Goat Dairy, Omaopio Road is now also a destination for vodka connoisseurs!
In April, Ocean Vodka, the number one selling made in Hawaii spirit, opened a brand new Organic Farm and Distillery, with tours available several times a day.
I arrived too late for the tour, but the gift shop is open to the public currently during tour hours, from 9-4 daily. Theres a few logo items available for purchase, and some vodka of course, but according to Danielle, the very friendly shop employee, in a few weeks it should be full of some great made on Maui finds! Ill check it out and report back.
Tours of the organic farm and distillery are available daily at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 1:00 and 2:30. Tours are $10 a person or $25 includes lunch. To schedule your tour you should contact Ocean Vodka here , or just drop by and see if theres space available!
According to their website,
Hum, I wonder if the tour includes a sample
The Ocean Vodka Gift Shop Open 9-4 Daily
Ocean Vodka is the only Vodka in the world distilled from Organic Sugar Cane
The New Ocean Vodka Distillery
And, a baby pineapple.
Just up the road from Ocean Vodka is Surfing Goat Dairy, where you can purchase goat cheese, check out the baby goats , and yes, take a tour!
Hours of Operation at the Surfing Goat Dairy
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Haiku Mill An Abandoned Sugar Mill
In 1861,Haiku Millbegan its life as a sugar mill, only to be abandoned twenty years later, where it sat quietly, becoming part of the landscape, for the next one hundred years. The only remains of the initial structure, the stately stone walls, are now covered with vines and lush vegetation. The area has been lovingly restored, and entering the property is like stepping back in time. The Haiku Mill blends the stunning natural beauty of Hawaii with the Old World elegance of Europe. Conde Nast listed Haiku Mill as one of the top 25 wedding venues in the WORLD, one of only two listed in the USA. Haiku Mill is available for intimate parties to grand weddings, private events and photo shoots.
Maui Ocean Center A Tropical Aquarium
From rehearsal dinners, sunset ceremonies, or unique wedding receptions, Maui Ocean Center provides an under-the-sea setting in this central Maui location. The aquarium even offers underwater weddings in their Open Ocean exhibit, if bride and groom are SCUBA certified. Guests can witness the event in the comfort of the 54 long acrylic tunnel which runs through the exhibit, or the large floor to ceiling viewing window. Or, if you are looking for an out of-the-box proposal idea, how about an underwater one? One of the aquariums staff divers will carry a sign with a message for your special sweetie! .
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Best Flavored: Ketel One Cucumber & Mint
Region: Netherlands | ABV: 30% | Tasting notes: Cucumber, Mint, Crisp
Made with non-GMO grain, naturally extracted cucumber and mint essences, and no additives, this Dutch-flavored vodka is crisp as can be, but its also packed with personality. Slava Borisov of Travelle at The Langham Hotel in Chicago, calls this bottle of Ketel One playful.”
At just 60 proof, it’s light on the alcohol making it a smooth and friendly spirit for low-ABV drinks, says Borisov. Perfect for “light, refreshing spring and summer cocktails enjoyed in the garden, the fragrant vodka mixes well with sparkling sodas, sparkling wines, and floral liqueurs.
Region: California | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Chile peppers, Lemongrass, Citrus
The base spirit for this spicy elixir is distilled from organic grapes sourced in California wine country, where the family-owned Hanson of Sonoma distillery is located. Sweet and smooth with a fruity appeal, its a worthy bottle in and of itself, but infuse it with locally sourced, organic chileshabaneros and half a dozen other varietiesand the resulting flavored vodka bristles with complex heat. Still, it retains its grape-based character. A little bit of sweetness and a whole lot of spice mingle together for a complex, multilayered spirit with just the right flavor you’d want for an exemplary Bloody Mary.
Alii Kula Lavender A Working Lavender Farm
The rolling lavender fields and stunning, bi-coastal views of Alii Kula Lavender farm offer unforgettable backdrops for your wedding, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower, or other private event. Created by Agricultural Artist and Horticultural Master, Alii Chang, the thirteen acre farm is home to approximately 55,000 lavender plants and 45 different varieties of lavender. The farm recently hired Melissa Padilla of Opihi Love Event Rentals to coordinate their private functions, ensuring that each bride and groom will enjoy the event of their dreams.
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Best Overall: Hangar 1
Region: California | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Orange, White pepper, Cinnamon
In 2002, St. George Spirits birthed this small-batch vodka in an old aircraft hangar in California. Proximo Spirits, which bought the brand back in 2010, still produces it at the old Naval Air Station Alameda on San Francisco Bay, albeit in a new distillery.
There, a wheat-based, column-distilled vodka gets blended with vodka made from viognier grapes that have been run through copper pot stills. The result boasts a layered flavor profile that spans the divide between syrupy and savory, between subtlety and burns. Hangar 1 is a vodka that will please everyone at the party, from newbies wanting a slightly fruity touch to their Cosmopolitans to seasoned imbibers looking for a rounded floral perfume in their Gibson.
Best Russian: Beluga Noble
Region: Russia | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Flowers, Cream, Alpine herbs
This vodka is the greatest combination of old traditions and contemporary chic, says Borisov. He notes the superiority of both the water source and the filtration processtwo key contributors to the vodkas bouquet and flavor profile. Beluga uses pure artesian well water from Siberia, and it triple filters its vodka through birch charcoal, a silver filter, and quartz sand. Then, the spirit is left to rest for a month to relax its aroma. After all that,” Borisov says, “the final product is clean like a tear, a common expression used to describe the highest quality vodka in Russia.”
Borisov also recommends keeping this bottle in the fridge and drinking it cold and neat, complemented in true Russian fashion with a small piece of rye bread and a pickled cornichon.
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Wow Wow Lemonade Local And Fresh
Update 9/10/15- The wow wow lemonade stand in Kahului is temporarily closed but
Every day after school the carpool kids pile into my minivan and announce that they are hungry. I have a couple of standby treats, but yesterday I was craving something different something cool and refreshing and to be honest, ever since I saw someone walking around town with a big mason jar, filled with the most delicious looking juice, with the words no ka oi emblazoned on the side, Ive been craving Wow Wow Lemonade.
Doesnt this make you thirsty?
Now heres the strange part Id never even tried it before. But Ive been following them on for a while, and the combination of local, freshly hand-squeezed juice, plus a classic mason jar in a limited edition design, was just more than I could resist. So I brought my kids down to do some product testing, and I also used them as models. They even took some pictures. As recommended by the very friendly staff, the strawberry lemonade with just a touch of mint was a hit! But I cant wait to bring my mason jar back for more!
Once the lemonade was kid-approved, we checked in with Todd of Wow Wow Lemonade who so kindly answered a few of our questions
Maui Made: When did Wow Wow Lemonade open?
MM: What was the inspiration?
MM: Where do you get your produce?
MM: Whats the best part of doing business on Maui?
MM: I love the mason jars, its great branding and the designs are really cute. Where did that idea come from?
Shaka Approved!
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Best For Sipping: Absolut Elyx
Region: Sweden | ABV: 42.3% | Tasting notes: Malt, Citrus, Grass
I love sipping vodka straight from the freezer, says Tony Abou-Ganim, star bartender and author of “Vodka Distilled.” Its a beautiful, velvety liquid when it gets to that temperature, then it reveals itself as it warms up. The go-to in his deep-freeze is this premium Swedish bottle. Made with single-estate winter wheat, it has a sharp brightness, he says, that elevates all those malty, grainy flavors in standard Absolut.
Good to Know: The true test of a sipping spirit? Make sure it pairs deliciously with food. Great sipping vodkas, Abou-Ganim says, cuts through caviar like a knife it goes with pickled herring, stinky cheese, charcuterie, foie gras, gravlaxanything cured.”
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There’s A Reason Why This Versatile Spirit Is The Most Popular In The World
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Liquor / Chloe Jeong
An unaged spirit distilled and filtered repeatedly to achieve smoothness and clarity, vodka has had a reputation for blandness. It was even long defined as “without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color” by The Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau . In April 2020, though, the bureau dropped the definition that held vodka back, acknowledging something that experts know: vodkas are wildly diverse, distilled using everything from grains to grapes, milk to maple sap.
With that said, how should you decide among them? Charles Joly, spirits tasting judge and founder of Crafthouse Cocktails, says Most people want something relatively neutral, but that doesn’t mean it has to lack character. When he judges a vodka, he considers the quality of the distillate: It shouldnt have an aggressive burn.” He wants an aroma that hints at the raw material used to make the vodka, be it grapes, potatoes, or grain. And he looks for a creamy mouthfeel without a cloying glycerin texture, as well as a clean, mouthwatering finish. From big, bold, and spicy to smooth and sweet, or anything in between, theres a vodka out there for every palate. With the help of our experts, below you’ll find a curated list of the best vodkas to get right now.
Best Budget: Ch Vodka
Region: Illinois | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Vanilla, Pepper, Wheat
Joly likes the low-priced, CH vodka so much that he uses it in the Moscow Mule in line with his bottled mixed-drink, Crafthouse Cocktails.
Made in Chicagos Pilsen District, its a small-batch, artisan product from sourcing to bottling. It starts with certified-organic Illinois winter wheat and rye, and, in a rarity for the vodka category, its milled, mashed, fermented, and column-distilled entirely in-house. Flavorful but approachable, this spirit delivers alluring, complementary notes: a big, soft serving of vanilla followed by a spicy, peppery kick.
Region: New York | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Clean, Crisp, Smooth
You pretty much cant get any more virtuous with your vodka drinking than this scientific breakthrough: Vodka made from nothing other than carbon dioxide, water, and sunshine. Its Brooklyn-based producer uses a special, solar-powered technology to convert carbon emissions into ethyl alcohol, removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere as it amps up our Moscow Mules. No farming, no irrigation, no resource extraction. No wonder its a NASA prize winner. It tastes pretty good, too: smooth and light.
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What Happens If Ocean Complete Vodka Organic Is Out Of Stock And I Need To Give Specific Instructions
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Best For Highballs: Broken Shed
Broken Shed
Region: New Zealand | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Citrus, Grass, Honeysuckle
As Abou-Ganim points out, theres been a return in the highball, a three-ingredient cocktail of spirit, bubbly water, and crucially, ice. Tall, cool, and refreshing, the highball is the drink of summer for home bartenders, and the New Zealand-based Broken Shed vodka works beautifully in the glass. Distilled from whey and pristine aquifer and mountain water, this spirit has a floral honeyed character and a creamy, luscious body. Yet, theres nothing overly sweet or cloying in there.
It has a beautiful natural taste that is light and crisp with a smooth warmth to finish it off, says Fred Flynn of Wilmington, N.C.’s Manna. Flavorful yet bright, it makes you want to go back for another sip.
Where To Buy New Furniture On Maui
There have been a lot of changes in the last year, stores opening, closing, moving heres the current news you need to find furniture on Maui. Latitudes, in Kahului, will be closing down, and HUE will be taking over the space as the anchor to a whole design center! The owners of Latitudes will continue their silk floral business, The Garden, at the design center,offering custom silk arrangements, artificial plants and flowers. Also at the design center,Suda Shades will be offering window treatments. Current Latitudes inventory will be 40% off until May 30. As they prepare to enter their new location this summer, HUE is offering 30% off special orders, 15-30% off store wide, 50% off rugs, additional clearance 50% off on May 26 . Also new to Maui is Pacific Home, on Lalo in Kahului. Currently , but grand opening to be in a few weeks, with new hours. More information coming soon! Furniture stores listed here carry primarily NEW furniture for used furniture stores, . This is not the complete list, stores will be added as I gather the information also, seasonally Costco sells furniture, and Ross usually has a collection of smaller items in the back, side chairs, ottomans, occasional tables, etc.
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California Residents: Tap Here For Proposition 65 Warning
| WARNING: Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol |
| WARNING: Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A , a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to: www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/BPA |
Best Organic: Ocean Organic
Region: Hawaii | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Crisp, Fruity, Mineral
Organic sugar cane grown on a family estate in Maui combines with desalinated water pulled from 3,000 feet below the depths of the Pacific Ocean for a flavor that’s clean, easy, and long-lasting. In its round, blue bottle, Ocean Vodka exemplifies the beauty of organic spirits. Its pure, light taste, with a muted sweetness, works well with fresh fruit juices including coconut, mango, and pineapple.
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