Kauai’s Best Bartender 2016

Dark & Stormy, Koloa Style with Koloa Rum. Daniel Lane photo

Starting tonight, RumFire Poipu Beach and Koloa Rum Company are on the hunt for Kauai’s Best Bartender. In the contest’s second year, the island’s food and beverage industry professionals have been challenged to showcase original Koloa Rum-based cocktails for the chance to earn the title and the $4,000 grand prize. The runner up will receive a $1,000 second prize, both courtesy of Koloa Rum. Over the 15 weeks of the single-elimination tournament, contestants will go head-to-head each week by creating an original cocktail with a mystery ingredient. A winner will be named Kauai’s Best Bartender in the final round on Friday, November 18.

Patrons of RumFire Poipu Beach will have the opportunity to cast their vote to determine the winner of each round on Friday evenings between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., beginning Aug. 12. Participants can enjoy an 8-ounce portion of each contestant’s Koloa Rum-based cocktail for $16.

Koloa Rum’s award-winning rums are carefully and skillfully handcrafted from the finest sugarcane and the pure, abundant water sources on Kauai. Each of the six flavors are twice distilled in single batches. From the dry and crisp Kauai White Rum to the bold and rich notes of Kauai Coffee Rum, Koloa Rum offers six premium rums for the contestants to be inspired by and enhance their cocktail creations.