Four Seasons Maui is mixing modern tropicals at reimagined Lobby Lounge | News, Sports, Jobs

Publish date: 2024-05-09

Mixologist Ben Yabrow crafts modern tropical cocktails at the Lobby Lounge in the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. -- Four Seasons Resort Maui photo

Helmed by star mixologist Ben Yabrow, the newly reimagined Lobby Lounge at Four Seasons Resort Maui is a celebration of the diverse and colorful flavors and flora of Maui. Featuring what he calls a “modern tropical” craft cocktail program, Yabrow is now curating a stunning collection of original creations and imaginative interpretations of classic tropical cocktails.

“I love creating,” says Yabrow. “Leading the Lobby Lounge at Four Seasons Maui through this spectacular re-imagination has been exhilarating. I’m very excited to bring the modern tropical concept.”

Yabrow’s selection celebrates the fresh flavors of Maui, while incorporating refined and delightfully surprising twists on classics. Starting with bright daytime drinks and finishing with moody late-night selections, the cocktail menu is organized to flow with the cadence of the day and is divided into five categories: Gold, Ember Glow, Deco Rose, Viola and Moonlight. In addition to the 20 new spirited cocktails, each section of the menu also features an inspired “free-spirited” non-alcoholic selection that has been just as thoughtfully crafted by Yabrow.

Especially notable is Yabrow’s signature cocktail, The Talisman.

“One of the primary inspirations was color,” Yabrow says. “For The Talisman, we distilled the ‘tiki’ concept down to its primary ingredients, which reflect the seven pigments in a rainbow.”

The result is a fresh cocktail that expertly balances rum, coconut, pineapple, mango, almond, citrus and mint. Garnished with a mint bouquet and orchid, The Talisman is served in a beautiful porcelain tiki vessel designed by local artisan Curt Stevens.

The cocktail collection will be served alongside Executive Chef Craig Dryhurst’s new small-plate menu, featuring items inspired by the Hawaiian melting pot such as Kona kampachi crudo, ahi poke flat bread, mochiko chicken banh mi and malasadas with vanilla coconut cream.

The sense of place carries into the 112-seat lounge designed by Wimberly Interiors, the same firm that completed the property’s beautiful floor-to-ceiling room and suite transformation in 2016. The contemporary beachfront space, which boasts a stunning view of the Pacific, West Maui Mountains and Neighbor Island of Lanai, is tastefully appointed with natural tones and textiles inspired by the destination, rare ivory cane palms and locally-made art.

Wooden sculptures carved by Maui artisan Tim Garcia for his Shibusa series adorn the lounge.

“The sculptures have cutouts that represent portals, linking the present and future,” says Four Seasons Maui Art Director Rose Potter. “But they allow everyone their own reference point. Guests describe them as ‘surfboards’ or ‘sails.’ Personally, I appreciate the totem energy they hold, without being representational tikis.”

The Lobby Lounge is open from 5 to 11:30 p.m. nightly with Hawaiian music, hula and a torch-lighting ceremony at sunset. For the latter half of the evening, the island’s most notable contemporary artists take the stage.

* For more details, call 874-8000.

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