From cane to glass: Ko's cocktails honor and innovate on Hawaii's Sugarcane Era

ByJericho Saria KGO logo

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Ko's cocktails honor and innovate on Hawaii's Sugarcane Era

MAUI, Hawaii (KGO) -- Ko Restaurant, inside Maui's luminous Fairmont Kea Lani, has launched a revamped menu that continues to honor Hawaii's sugarcane era, while also extending the theme to the glass, with its new bar program.

As Assistant Director of food and beverage Cameron Hall explains, "We really wanted to reflect in the cocktails as much as we could what (Executive Chef Matt Dela Cruz) was in the kitchen, having a representation of ingredients and the nationalities which worked on the sugarcane plantations." The cocktail list is divided into two narratives, one honoring the immigrant communities who shaped plantation life, and another "cane to glass" section highlighting modern sugarcane spirits crafted in Hawaii today.

Local partnerships are central. Hawaii-made products featured at Ko include Kuleana Rum from the Big Island, Oahu's Ko Hana Rum, Maui-based sugarcane syrup maker Sugar Cane Dane, and Maui's Ocean Organic Farm and Distillery, which produces its organic sugarcane-based Ocean Vodka, Kula Rum, Fy Gin, and its new organic agave-based spirit, Tiki La Purista.

Indeed, the sugarcane theme is right in the name. "Ko is sugarcane. That's what it is in Hawaiian," explains Ko's general manager Peni Siua. The lesson begins right at the entrance, when guests are offered sugarcane juice freshly pressed from organic cane provided by Ocean Distillery. "People get to enjoy a little bit of what Ko is and get to know what Ko actually stands for," adds Siua.

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Before tourism defined the islands, bartender Kris Cosare notes, "sugarcane was Hawaii's main cash crop, and a lot of different cultures migrated to the islands and shared their flavors, and that's what created what we know as local food today." That migration-Portuguese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean and more- inspires both the kitchen and the bar.

Behind the bar, Cosare shakes up the Tchin Tchin, "a play on a French 75, very refreshing, very citrus forward cocktail." Made with Fy Gin from Ocean, Veuve Clicquot champagne, house-made hibiscus syrup, osmanthus tea, lychee liqueur and lemon juice, the bubbly and vibrant red cocktail, served up in a frosted coupe glass, is finished with a garnish of beautiful edible flower blossoms. "Everything besides the champagne is sourced on the island," Cosare proudly says.

For Chef Matt Dela Cruz, reconnecting with cane, even physically cutting it, reinforces the restaurant's purpose: "Our concept here at Ko is to give the guests a little bit of the deeper culture of Hawaii." Ultimately, he says, "It's a family environment where you take friends and family and have a great time and have something to remember at the end of the day."

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