The bar is open!

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Nov. 9, 2022

I teach my bartenders that, if you truly want to control the crowd, use your eyes. Once your guest feels acknowledged, a simple, “I’ll be right with you,” will go a long way. Read more

Tricks and treats of the trade

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Oct. 11, 2022

Recently, I had the honor and the pleasure of coaching two young women bartenders — both in their early 20s — for their first-ever competition. Read more

Branching out

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Sept. 14, 2022

Happy Bourbon Heritage Month! In 2007, the United States Senate unanimously passed a bill calling for September to be known as National Bourbon Heritage Month, declaring bourbon as our national spirit due to its historic role in shaping our country. Read more

Letters to a young bartender

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Aug. 9, 2022

A few days ago, I received an email that caught me a bit off guard. Read more

Spirit of the samurai

• By Alicia Yamachika
• July 13, 2022

Since Father’s Day and National Martini Day both fell on the same day last month, I think it was only appropriate to celebrate our nation’s independence with a cocktail that has been equally as misunderstood as my teenage self once felt. Read more

Cocktails and dreams

• By Alicia Yamachika
• May 10, 2022

When I was 3 1/2 years old, my mother entered one of my drawings of horses into an art contest and it won. Read more

Smells like team spirit

• By Alicia Yamachika
• April 12, 2022

I was listening to a podcast recently, and heard someone say, “If I’m trying to build a winning team, I’m not going to recruit five point guards." Read more

The persistence of memory

• By Alicia Yamachika
• March 8, 2022

Sláinte, March 17 will be St. Patrick’s Day! While we will once again forego the annual block party this year Read more

The buzz about town

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Feb. 8, 2022

Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day, and while some look forward to the cupid-Hallmarked festivity with all the anticipation of E.E. Cummings in springtime, still others are paralyzed by musings of “‘Do I dare?’ and ‘Do I dare?’”. Read more

Morning brew

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Jan. 11, 2022

Ringing in the New Year is a time for resolutions and self-improvement. Read more

Punches for pooches

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Dec. 7, 2021

When I was around 6 years old, all my little sister wanted for Christmas was a dog. Read more

Jack rose among thorns

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Nov. 9, 2021

If you are a citizen of planet Earth, these past 19 months have probably thrown you for a loop, and needless to say, there were more than a few challenges. Read more

Beber de los muertos

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Oct. 12, 2021

As a child growing up in Hawaii, I clung desperately to any festivity that offered to accentuate the seemingly otherwise, muted holiday atmosphere. Read more

In beer we trust

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Sept. 7, 2021

As the hot Hawaiian summer continues to linger like fingertips on the encroaching blanket of an equally sweltering fall, is it any wonder that a simple glass of water — or even a cool lemonade — won't cut it? Read more

Cosmo glass

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Aug. 10, 2021

Aug. 26 is Women' s Equality Day. But how does that translate for women (and men), both behind the bar these days, and for those seated at it? Read more

Rum amok

• By Alicia Yamachika
• July 13, 2021

Ask any cocktail connoisseur what the official cocktail of Hawaii should be, and you'll get an array of answers. Read more

We salute you, bourbon

• By Alicia Yamachika
• June 9, 2021

Next Monday is National Bourbon Day, and admittedly never having toured the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, I spent the better half of my adult life making up for the grave oversight. Read more

The golden ratio

• By Alicia Yamachika
• May 11, 2021

Last month's observance of Earth Day reawakened an awareness that balance has become increasingly important. Many local businesses like Maui Brewing Co. have been striving to bring about just that. Read more