Laguna Beach Drink of the Week: the Lapu Lapu at the Royal Hawaiian

Tropical drinks sometimes get a bad rap as being too fruity, too light, too ... feminine.    

Fortunately, the Lapu Lapu at the stands as a stark contrast to that stereotype. 

It's made with:

• Myers's Platinum Rum
• Pineapple juice
• Orange juice
• Passion fruit juice
• Dark rum

And of course, a tiny paper umbrella.  

The first flavor we tasted was definitely the pineapple, with the passion fruit and the orange following closely behind. The dark rum seems to accent to the other flavors and enhances the fruit juices nicely. It's notable that simple syrup is not in this drink—which we believe to be the downfall of umbrella-clad drinks everywhere. Fruit juice should always provide the majority of the sweetness, not sugar. 

The alcohol taste surfaced just barely after all the fruit flavors washed across our palate—which is actually a hidden danger. But of course, a very strong drink may be your objective. 

In short, the Lapu Lapu is made the way we think a tropical drink should be made—fruity, but not too sweet, and with a tiny hint of the alcohol.