An avid Magnum PI fan, the King Kamehameha Club is the place to be – it is where the “knights” (Thomas, Rick and TC) would meet and it was when also they would their clients, contacts, even suspects, fictional of course, the club is located at an undisclosed location somewhere on the “south shore” and features an indoor bar, a dining room, a patio deck and party rooms, and all the amenities that an exclusive “members only” establishment with a semi-formal dress code can offer.
In the 2018 Magnum P.I. reboot, and before Orville and TC bought the “La Mariana there was “King Kamehameha Club” where Magnum has is running tab.
Michael Lay, former general manager/beverage director of Lono, a Tiki Bar located in Hollywood Boulevard, got hooked of the 80’s hit show on Amazon TV was inspired and concocted the “King Kamehameha” and is one of the excellent cocktails on the menu.
In a 2017 article at the Los Angeles Times by Jenn Harris, Lay said “I love Magnum P.I.,” formerly of Faith and Flower and Broken Spanish in downtown L.A. “I’ve been watching through all the seasons. The drink is named after a club they always hang out in.”
“The King Kamehameha is a lot of rum (four totals, including two Jamaican and two Puerto Rican). A lot of citrus (lime, orange juice and Aperol). Some passion fruit, and some pineapple. It is the color of a pale orange-pink sunset, served in a hurricane glass full of ice, garnished with a cherry, an orange peel, a wedge of pineapple and spear-like pineapple leaves that stick straight up and out of the glass — perhaps an offering to the Tiki gods.”
If you are someone who loves lots of fresh citrus flavor and lots of rum to spike it up, well his royal highness King Kamehameha cocktail is certainly for you.
The combo of passion fruit, pineapple, oranges – all that mouth-watery juice citrus and that tangy spike of four types of rum – it is one serious cocktail equals “danger”. By the time you are on your third sip, “a wave of relaxation washes over you as you settle into one of the bar’s comfy dark booths and order one of chef David Lespron‘s elevated pupu. Maybe an order of the oxtail steamed buns or kung pao ribs while you contemplate whether or not the golden octopus spinning on top of the record player is actually spinning.” Oxtail steamed buns or kung pao ribs are highly recommended with the drinks.
Enjoy your next King Kamehameha Cocktail this coming Monday when you watch the Reboot of Magnum PI on CBS.
- ¾ ounce dark overproof rum, preferably Plantation OFTD rum
- ¾ ounce aged Puerto Rican rum, preferably Bacardi 8
- 1 ounce Aperol
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 2 ounces pineapple juice
- ¾ ounce passion fruit syrup
- ¾ ounce honey syrup
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the rums, Aperol, lime, orange and pineapple juices, the passion fruit syrup and honey syrup. Shake vigorously and strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice. Top with an orange twist and a wedge of pineapple.
- 5 minutes. Serves 1
- Each serving: Calories 355; Protein 1 gram; Carbohydrates 44 grams; Fiber 0; Fat 0; Cholesterol 0; Sugar 39 grams; Sodium 8 mg
Note: Adapted from a recipe by Michael Lay of Lono Hollywood. The rums, passion fruit and honey syrups are generally available at well-stocked liquor stores. To make passion fruit syrup, combine 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water and boil for a couple minutes; add ½ cup fresh passion fruit and the juice of ½ lemon and boil for a couple minutes longer, then strain and cool until needed. To make honey syrup, combine ¾ cup honey and ½ cup water and boil until reduced by ¼, then cool until needed.
