Mixologists to Vie for $10,000 at Sixth Annual Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival

Last year's Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival

The Sixth Annual Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival is set to kick off August 16 at the Royal Kona Resort on Hawaii’s Big Island.

The event promoters are presently looking for mixologists to compete for the title of “World’s Best Mai Tai” and a $10,000 first prize for the winning recipe. The entry deadline is July 1 and the top 21 bartenders will be selected to compete at the event.

Last year, mixologists from around the world celebrated the legendary Mai Tai cocktail, with Wendy Agustin from Haliimaile General Store on Maui taking home the title and the cash. Registration is online at www.donsmaitaifest.com

To enter, contestants must submit a registration form, photograph of their mai tai creation, recipe that features Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum with exact proportions, and specific glassware needed for proper presentation of the concoction. Creativity and the libation’s name will be part of the judging. Participants must be a bartender for the bar or restaurant they represent and they must stay at the Royal Kona Resort during the event.

In addition to all of the wild action of the Mai Tai Mix-Off, the one-day festival will offer plenty of other activities for everyone to enjoy. There will be live entertainment featuring award-winning musician Henry Kapono at a free pool party, tastings and voting for the best barbeque in Hawaii at the Battle of the BBQ contest, and shopping for island treats and locally-produced goods and crafts at the Mai Tai Marketplace.

Taster plates will be available for purchase and the public can vote for the “People’s Choice BBQ Award.” First place prize for this tasty contest is five nights deluxe ocean view accommodations at the Royal Lahaina Resort on Maui, round trip inter-island airfare for two, Royal Lahaina luau for two, $500 food and beverage credit during the stay at the Royal Lahaina Resort and a round of golf for two at the Kaanapali Golf Resort.

Event sponsors currently include Don the Beachcomber Restaurant at the Royal Kona Resort, Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, Southern Wines and Spirits, Waimea Sound and Hawaiian Hotels & Resorts. Judges for the competitions are still being determined.

Entry for the public for all Mai Tai Mix-Off events is free.  The Mai Tai Marketplace and Battle of the BBQ contest will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Henry Kapono’s Pool Party will go on from 2:30 to 4 p.m.  The Mai Tai Mix-Off is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m.
 
Visit www.donsmaitaifest.com and www.royalkona.com.