The Mai-Kai welcomes Cory Starr as new chief mixologist in advance of grand reopening

The revered cocktail program at The Mai-Kai is in experienced and enthusiastic hands as the historic restaurant prepares for its grand reopening in November. The new beverage director and head bartender is Cory Starr, most recently general manager and beverage director at the acclaimed Tiki Tatsu-Ya in Austin, and before that a key member of the team at Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago.

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• Take 5: Q&A with Cory Starr
• Bonus cocktail recipe: One Way Ticket

While Starr is used to creating unique offerings at his previous gigs, he’s equally excited about the challenge that lies ahead. “I feel a great responsibility for maintaining the standards of the past,” he said in an interview with The Atomic Grog just after his arrival.

Starr worked at Tiki Tatsu-Ya from 2019 until September 2023, creating the cocktail program from the ground-up before the spectacularly immersive restaurant opened in September 2021. Prior to that, he bartended at the Spirited Award-winning Three Dots and a Dash from 2015 to 2019, often joining beverage director Kevin Beary at events across the country.

The Arizona native cut his teeth as a tropical bartender at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Hawaii’s Kona Coast from 2011 to 2015. Starr was also invited to compete twice (2018 and 2019) in the prestigious Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival at the Royal Kona Resort (finishing second and third). His time in Hawaii cemented is love for Tiki culture and launched him on a trajectory that has taken him to one of the most legendary Polynesian restaurants of the mid-20th century.

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At 40, Starr brings to The Mai-Kai a youthful energy, but also vast experience with high-level and high-volume cocktail programs. This will all serve him well in re-establishing the storied bar program begun by Don the Beachcomber alum Mariano Licudine in 1956. Most of the restaurant’s historic cocktails remain the same as they were when the “Houdini of the Liquids” retired in 1979.

“Stepping into this role is unlike anything I have done before,” Starr said. “While Tiki cocktails have so much history tied to them already, The Mai Kai drinks are legendary and my job here is more preserving history and bridging the gap from The Mai Kai that we all adore to the new era of The Mai Kai.”

After leaving Texas and before arriving at The Mai-Kai, Starr kept busy with consulting and guest bartending gigs. This included a visit to South Florida in June to join the behind-the-scenes bar team (aka the “Suffering Bastards”) at The Hukilau, the annual Tiki weekender that returns to the Beachcomber Resort in Pompano Beach next June.

He’s a veteran participant, having previously bartended at The Hukilau in 2022, representing Tiki Tatsu-Ya. Starr was also part of the Three Dots and a Dash crew at the memorable Tiki Tower Takeover events in 2017 and 2018.

Atomic Grog special feature
Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide: Reviews, ratings, recipes and more

Before moving to the Sunshine State, Starr spent a majority of 2024 in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. If you were lucky, you caught him tending bar at a local culinary landmark, the Rundown Cafe in Kitty Hawk. Starr landed in South Florida in early September, diving head-first into his next adventure.

When he arrived, he said he was excited to learn all The Mai Kai drinks, “and how they make classic recipes that I have been working with for the last 15 years.” It will be Starr’s job to not only reinvigorate the classic menu, but also add new and inventive originals that expand the scope and variety of the bar offerings. By all indications, he’s well equipped to handle the challenge.

“We have a few new things brewing,” he said. “But the classic rum drinks will all be the same during our grand reopen. Figuring out how to execute these drinks fast and efficiently is going to be really fun for me, especially getting to work in the beautiful new service bar.”

The iconic space, which was formerly hidden away in the bowls of the kitchen, is now part of the “on stage” show at The Mai-Kai. Guests can watch the bar staff at work via a window in the gift shop, aka The Mai-Kai Trading Post.

On many nights, you’ll find Starr in the head bartending station directly behind the window. This main bar services the hundreds of guests in the dining rooms, including the showroom where The Mai-Kai’s Polynesian Islander Revue has performed since the early 1960s. It’s the oldest continually-running authentic South Seas stage show in the United States (including Hawaii).

Starr will also supervise the bartenders in the 150-capacity Molokai bar and the new outdoor Bora Bora Bar, where guests can enjoy a welcome drink under the reimagined porte-cochère when they arrive. His staff totals around three dozen bartenders and bar backs.

His past experience will be an asset. Three Dots and a Dash may be The Mai-Kai’s only rival in churning out the largest volume of craft tropical cocktails in the world. Even at that high volume, Starr says, he’s putting a big emphasis on fresh juices and quality, house-made syrups.

“The reopen is going to be much like a brand new opening, with all the new staff to train and the new areas of the property we will be serving drinks from,” he said in our September interview. The first step of training for both the bar staff and the servers was a crash course in the history of Mai-Kai cocktails. I was happy to lead a presentation, along with longtime manager Kern Mattei.

During training, Starr has stressed not only speed to keep up with the high volume, but also consistency with the historic recipes. Most of the cocktails date back to the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, so Starr said he doesn’t want to disappoint customers who expect them to taste the same as they always have.

“Keeping those consistencies together throughout the history of this place is what we’re all about,” he said during the history presentation for the staff.

Later, as the staff got up to speed on the recipes, he ran them through numerous drills and cocktail tastings nightly. The past six weeks have also given him the opportunity to fine-tune all the new equipment and work out the logistics of all three bars.

Nothing remains from inside the old service bars, save for some of the basic structural elements, and a bit of decor and memorabilia on the walls. The main back bar is now themed to a level equal to or above many front-of-house bars, thanks to creative director “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller and artist Scott “Flounder” Scheidly. It has a bamboo top and trim with custom lamps, tile and wall treatments, plus a few nods to the past.

One signature element of the old bar was preserved. Allsmiller made sure to build a long shelf high on the wall that holds The Mai-Kai’s historic rum collection, including many bottles that date back to Licudine’s days and beyond. The cocktail menu will also include a new rum list, curated by Starr.

“I see my role as a preservationist of history and a keyholder to some of The Mai Kai’s best secrets,” Starr said. “The Mai Kai is so beloved in the Tiki community as well, so I am privileged to be representing them. I am also very excited to get behind that amazing service bar and crank out some cocktails!”

Take 5: Q&A with Cory Starr

Question: How did your previous positions in Austin, Chicago and Hawaii prepare you for your role at The Mai-Kai?

Answer: In Hawaii, I fell in love with cocktail culture, Hawaiian history and hospitality, rum, Tiki bars and Tiki history. In Chicago I was able to fine-tune my bartending craft, travel the country with Three Dots and meet so many amazing bartenders and Tiki community members, which has shaped my love for these communities. I also was able to learn how to run a high-volume Tiki bar while maintaining world class cocktails. In Austin, I was able to help build a Tiki bar from the ground up. From bar, menu, mug and glassware design to creating interpretations of Tiki cocktails that were my own but paid homage to the classics. All of these positions have taught me the importance of the history of Tiki and cocktail culture and being able to share this with my guests and colleagues in a fun and approachable way that makes them fall in love with it as well.

Q: We’ve been told the classic cocktail menu won’t be changing, but new drinks featuring spirits other than rum will be added. Do you have any thoughts on how you’d like to accomplish this?

A: Rum is my favorite spirit, but it’s also a fun challenge to incorporate non-rum spirits. We definitely want to incorporate classic Tiki cocktail and tropical flavors while using uncommon flavors that can bridge the gap between the spirit and the syrups and juice. It’s also a good technique to make a sort of hybrid cocktail that balances the template of Tiki cocktails and non-Tiki cocktails, which can make the spirit more approachable.

Q: People will be able to see you in the formerly hidden back bar via a window in the gift shop, but you’re still pretty secluded. Do you hope to interact with guests? Will we see you occasionally in the new outdoor bar?

A: The new service well will definitely be an area where I can interact with guests that will be taking tours and checking out the new area as I will be behind the main service well often. There will be times you’ll see me at the Bora Bora Bar outside as well. It is a new experience not being on the main stage for sure, but I am really excited to see the look on the guests faces when they see The Mai Kai again, but also some of the areas for the first time.

Q: The Mai-Kai recipes are notoriously secret and closely guarded. Do you feel a sense of responsibility keeping founding mixologist Mariano Licudine’s flame alive for future generations?

A: Mariano has always been one of my favorite mixologists, and I have been preaching about him for years already. One of my favorite things is paying homage to the ones that laid the groundwork before us in the Tiki and cocktail world, and it’s an absolute honor and privilege to be trusted with keeping the secrets and also maintaining the love and nostalgia people feel for Mariano’s creations and The Mai Kai in general.

Q: What are your favorite Mai-Kai cocktails, and why?

A: While not on the current menu, Last Rites has been a top 5 cocktail for me of all time, and one of my favorite ways to introduce people to rhum from Martinique. It’s been resurrected multiple times in the past decade, so I anticipate seeing it around. The Zombie at The Mai Kai is an amazing rendition of the classic, and the classic flavors and strong punch it has is why I like it so much. I am also excited to try some of the drinks I haven’t had from The Mai Kai before to see their take on it.

More interviews with Cory Starr
• Music and Booze With Mo podcast: June 2023 | June 2018

Bonus cocktail recipe

As an example of Cory Starr’s ability to mix classic Tiki flavors with spirits other than rum, we present this tasty cocktail that includes Scotch, bitter liqueurs, and a host of juices and syrups. It’s said to be inspired in part by the classic Jet Pilot. Starr says it’s a “crowd favorite” at Tiki Tatsu-ya.

ONE WAY TICKET
(By Cory Starr for Tiki Tatsu-ya in Austin, Texas)

• 2 ounces of Scotch
• 1/4 ounce Amaro Nonino
• 1/4 ounce Aperol
• 1 ounce of fresh lime juice
• 3/4 ounce grapefruit juice
• 3/4 ounce guava puree
• 1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup
• 1/2 ounce falernum

Pulse blend or shake with crushed ice and serve in a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a cherry speared to an orange wedge with a paper parasol.

Okole maluna!

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

UPCOMING EVENT

Tiki Evolution: The Historic Rums and Iconic Cocktails of The Mai-Kai

15th Miami Rum Renaissance Festival features tastings of elite brands, Mai-Kai seminar, plus more
Florida’s longest-running rum event celebrates the world’s most diverse spirit with three days of activities for everyone from newbies to high-end enthusiasts, to industry professionals.
• FULL PREVIEW, TICKET INFO, MORE

SPECIAL FEATURE

Okole Maluna Society: The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide
Hurricane Hayward reviews and rates the historic restaurant’s current and past tropical drinks, plus reveals a treasure trove of ancestor and exclusive tribute recipes.

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