By Donna M. Owens, Special to The Baltimore Sun

Ahh, Hawaii. Turquoise waters, palm trees, miles of pristine beaches and surfers, plus a well-deserved reputation for some of the best tropical cocktails around. Can't island hop right now? No worries. Now that summer is in full swing, we're sharing Hawaii's favorite drinks, while having local bartenders give these tropical libations their own signature twist. It's a taste of that aloha spirit for those who love to imbibe right here in Charm City.

Classic mai tai

PLACE: Don's Mai Tai Bar, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

BARTENDER: Robert Lehua

It's a sun-soaked morning on Hawaii's big island, and bartender Robert Lehua is mixing tropical cocktails at the Royal Kona Resort along the scenic Kona coast.

At this open-air, oceanfront bar, the Pacific Ocean sparkles yards away, and baby spinner dolphins do flips. Meanwhile, Lehua prepares Hawaii's iconic drink — the mai tai — a blend of rum, fruit juices and other ingredients. Despite longstanding debate about who created the original, and when, one fact is indisputable: It's a hit with tourists and locals alike.

"We serve about 40,000 a year," says Jeff Isbister, the resorts' food and beverage director. "We now have an annual Mai Tai Festival every August. Bartenders have come from as far away as Italy."

Sporting a bright print shirt, Lehua quickly blends the juices, orange liqueur and orgeat (sweet almond syrup) in a highball glass. He tops the colorful concoction with dark rum, and adds a maraschino cherry and fresh pineapple as garnish. The essential finishing touch is a tiny pink paper umbrella.

He smiles. "It's sweet, but potent."

The Bay Tai/Baltimore's mai tai

PLACE: Pazo, Harbor East, Baltimore

BARTENDER: William Escalante

Will Escalante has fond memories of his first mai tai. "I was in Mexico lying on a beach," recalls the head bartender at Pazo in upscale Harbor East. "It was my first tropical drink."

Today, Escalante brings innovative sips to the hipsters who crave the restaurants' tapas.

He came up with the Bay Tai, whose name pays homage to Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The cocktail boasts three types of rum, orange juice, lemon/limeade, grenadine and blue curacao, served in a tall Tom Collins glass.

"The blue curacao represents the blue crab that Baltimore takes such pride in, and has become a staple of our cuisine and culture," Escalante says. A thin layer of Bacardi 151 floats on top to honor the city's hard-working, blue-collar roots.

He's confident the Hawaii-inspired creation will win local fans.

"Since mai tai means 'good' in Tahitian, there is no doubt in my mind that's exactly what bar guests will be saying after trying this tasty cocktail."

Sparkling hibiscus gimlet

PLACE: Mai Tai Bar, Honolulu

BARTENDERS: Joey Gottesman and Derrick Oyama

You might spot a Hollywood celebrity or an international head of state at The Royal Hawaiian hotel's famed Mai Tai Bar in Honolulu.

For decades, everyone from VIPs to kama'aina (island residents) has mingled at this casual oceanfront spot, taking in panoramic views of surfers, Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head. At sunset, there's live ukulele music and hula dancing.

"We make several different types of mai tais and serve about 5,000 a month," says bartender Derrick Oyama, who ticks off variations that incorporate cherry-vanilla puree and champagne. The bar, which promotes the mai tai as its own creation, has won national awards for its delicious potion. They even serve a ginger-infused mai tai named for comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

Because pineapple, banana and other tropical fruits grow abundantly in Hawaii, the staff uses fresh, local ingredients for its cocktails. Orange juice is fresh-squeezed, for example. And guava, passion fruit and exotic flowers are staples.

During a recent visit, nationally known mixologist Joey Gottesman plucked a yellow hibiscus for a gimlet. Using a technique called bruising to release its essence, he added simple syrup, vodka, lime and seltzer. A pink-tinged blossom adorned the glass. He grinned and admired his handiwork. "Beautiful."

Hot and sticky gimlet

PLACE: Bad Decisions Bar, Fells Point, Baltimore

BARTENDER: John Reusing

When John Reusing opened his Fells Point bar in May 2008, he wanted it to rise above the average watering hole.

"We have rare and exotic liquors from all over the world," says the bartender-turned-entrepreneur. "I keep a lot of fresh fruit and items on hand to make cocktails. … Berries, grapefruit, fresh mint, cucumber. And then seasonal things like pomegranates, watermelon or blood oranges." He also orders jars of wild hibiscus.

At the neighborhood establishment, a jukebox plays, and the vibe is youthful and fun. While icy brews are reliable summer sellers here, many patrons order fruity drinks when the temperatures rise.

"They're definitely big," he says. "People want something cooling and refreshing."

In a nod to the balmy climes of both Hawaii and Baltimore, Reusing adapted a traditional gimlet recipe. It features a hibiscus flower at the bottom of a martini glass, vodka, sweet vermouth, lime juice, and for a kick, half of a habanero pepper. He's dubbed it, fittingly, the Hot and Sticky.

"Just like a humid summer night in B-more."

Sparkling hibiscus gimlet

From the Royal Hawaiian hotel's Mai Tai Bar

1 1/2 ounces Grey Goose Vodka

The juice of one lime

2 petals of fresh hibiscus flower

1/2 ounce simple syrup

Combine all ingredients with ice and shake hard (called bruising). Pour in glass and top with soda water or 7-Up for a sweeter drink.

The hot and sticky gimlet

From Bad Decisions Bar

1 wild Hibiscus blossom

1/2 habanero pepper

Juice of half a lime

1 1/2 ounces Tito's handmade vodka

1/2 ounce Dolin Sweet Blanc Vermouth

In a martini glass place one wild hibiscus blossom. In a shaker, combine habanero and the lime juice. Add vodka and vermouth. Shake and strain into the martini glass so that the flower stays at the bottom of the glass.

Don's mai tai

From Royal Kona Resort

1 1/4 ounces Bacardi 8-year-old rum

1/4 ounce orgeat syrup

1/4 ounce orange curacao

Equal parts orange and pineapple juice (about 1 ounce each)

1 ounce black rum

Squeeze of lime, pineapple slice and cherry for garnish

Mix all ingredients except black rum and garnishes in a glass. Float 1 ounce black rum on top, add squeeze of lime. Garnish with pineapple and cherry on a sword and an umbrella.

Baltimore mai tai (Bay Tai)

From Pazo

1/2 ounce Bacardi White Rum

1/2 ounce Bacardi Gold Rum

1 ounce Myers Dark Rum

1/2 ounce blue curacao

Equal parts orange juice and lemon/limeade

Splash of grenadine

Splash of Bacardi 151

Pineapple slice and blueberry for garnish

In a tall glass, combine the first three rums and the blue curacao. Top glass with equal parts orange juice and lemonade or limeade. Add a splash of grenadine, and float a layer of Bacardi 151 on top. Garnish with a pineapple slice and a blueberry.

Jerry's Grateful Coconut Milk Punch

From B&O Brasserie

1 1/4 ounces Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum

3/4 ounce coconut milk

1/2 ounce yuzu juice

3/4 ounce ginger syrup*

1 whole egg

2-3 drops of Bitter Truth Chocolate Mole Bitters

In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients. Dry shake (no ice) to emulsify the egg. Then add ice and shake again to chill. Strain into a sniffer with crushed ice. Garnish with two to three drops of chocolate bitters.

*Ginger syrup: Combine 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water with 1 small stem of peeled and sliced ginger in a small sauce pan. Bring all contents to a rolling boil for approximately 5 minutes then remove from heat. Allow contents to steep. Cool to room temperature. Strain to remove ginger.

Bar chefs

They shake, stir and pour more than 4,800 miles apart. Yet what Bryan Oakley of Hawaii and Baltimore-based Brendan Dorr share is a desire to elevate the cocktail into culinary art.

More than just bartenders, they're part of a growing class of experts known as "bar chefs."

"The mai tai is absolutely king here, but we're encouraged to express our creativity," says Oakley, head bartender at Huggo's on the Rocks, a bustling beachside eatery in historic Kailua Village known for its fresh daily catch. "Right now, I'm experimenting with mojitos and flavored vodkas — vanilla, lemon and melon. And of course, we always use the freshest fruit."

At B&O American Brasserie, connected to the Hotel Monaco in downtown Baltimore, Dorr also masterminds drinks that excite the senses and palate. "I may use fresh rhubarb in season, or an herb like cilantro in a mojito," says the mixologist, who has competed internationally and won national awards. They also make homemade limoncello, along with crème de cassis blueberry soda.

While Hawaii and Maryland might seem worlds apart, Eric Lelinski, a culinary graduate of Baltimore International College now living in Hawaii, says both locales share a love of good food — especially seafood — and drink. But each has a distinct cocktail culture.

"Here, visitors will order a cocktail they would never think of ordering in Baltimore or wherever home is," says Lelinski, executive chef at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, which is so close to the water that you can feel the ocean spray. "Seeing a guy remove the ubiquitous little paper umbrella from his cocktail and then really take pleasure in the taste surprise of a new drink is always fun."

Both Oakley and Dorr are fans of coconut and plan to use it in summer cocktails. Oakley's latest offering is the Kona Rainbow, a layered martini of red, green and yellow. It's made with coconut rum, melon liqueur, pineapple and cranberry juices. "You drink first, with your eyes," he says.

Dorr hopes customers will beat the heat with a glass of Jerry's Grateful Coconut Milk Punch. It's a blend of spiced rum, coconut milk, an egg, ginger syrup and juice of the yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit. The garnish? Chocolate mole bitters.

"It's a twist on an egg milk punch, much like an egg nog," he says of the chilled drink. "I have to say, it's really delicious."