Cuckoo Coconut's

Welcome and thank you for following my journey to taste and compare the Mai Tai's of the island of Oahu.

The original comparison point for my Mai Tai ratings was going to be North Hollywood's Tiki No. Unfortunately, I have lost the footage of my original rating, but I can recollect that the 'Tai was certainly sub-par. It consisted of what tasted like pre-mixed syrup and mediocre rum; it had very little actual juice and fresh ingredients. This was not fit to be my standard of comparison for Hawaiian Mai Tai's. More like Tiki No Way.

Enter Cuckoo Coconuts. As Ellie and I looked for a place to grab lunch during our first few jet-lagged hours, we stumbled upon the "last authentic tiki bar in Waikiki," according to the violele player. We ordered our food as well as what will now be the comparison point for my island Mai Tai's.


 

The initial sip had a very strong pineapple flavor. I realized shortly that I needed to stir the rum floater in more thoroughly. After doing so, the drink had a distinct dark rum flavor that was prevalent but not overpowering. There was a good mix of pineapple and rum, but, unfortunately, these were the only real noticeable flavors. The drink did not have the fake, pre-mixed element of Tiki No's, but it did seem one-dimensional. Though it lacked the more subtle aspects of a great Mai Tai, Cuckoo's drink was very palatable, fresh, and crisp. The 'Tai had my ideal of the perfect ice: large and clear chunks. The pineapple slice was superbly ripe and has raised my expectations for future slices. However, while the pineapple was great, the drink did not have a maraschino cherry or a paper umbrella. It was also served in a plastic Solo-esque cup which was slightly saved by a cute coaster-holder, but ultimately hurt the drink's aesthetic. Overall, I think that this is a good starting point for my Mai Tai expedition; Cuckoo's was a solid drink that I would order again, but did have some room for improvement. I will consider this my average when rating future MT's.

5/10

 Ellie's Corner:
Cuckoo Coconuts was great. Super sweet Tiki aesthetic. I tasted the Mai Tai and I thought it was pretty good, a little strong but not too bad. Very pineapple-y. While Eric had his Mai Tai I sucked down a Tiki Tango, which was coconut rum, gin, and mango juice. P great. We also had poke and loco moco, which were both real good.
Other notes: I forgot to play any Pokemon Go today but I did see a guy playing it on his big old iPad while his wife rinsed the sand off her feet.