The Mystery of the Blue Mai Tai

You may have noticed that Hoopnotica’s popular summer Blue & Glow hoop is named the Mai Tai.

Now we don’t come by these names willy nilly- we sit, we analyze, we google… we brainstorm like the people at OPI nail polish do when naming a new collection (minus the trip to Brazil or Marti Gras- which I’ve been trying really hard to implement). First we decide on a theme- this helps us create names to match~ so as Rayna and I were having a late spring cocktail to help us ‘get creative’- the lightblubs went on- and the Summer Cocktail Collection was born.


The Cosmo hoop was a given- raspberry & orange- the perfect combo.



The Midori Sour took some purple liberties- but the neon green borders were all we needed to lock down this beauties name!














So then we came to our hot hot hot Blue, Black & Glow—and we sat and we threw out suggestions—Blue Hawaii! Blue Lagoon! Mai Tai!! --- oooooh we all said- we like Mai Tai- that sounds tropical and a fantastic name for a hoop! “Are Mai Tai’s blue?” I ask. I get a resounding positive yes and I- for the one time in my life- don’t confirm by doing a google search. Well….

apparently Mai Tai’s aren’t blue…

Mai Tai’s are Orange...


So now we’re stuck in a quandary. Half of our Mai Tai collection is already sold out- and we’ve already produced all the hand-numbered tags that adorn each Limited Edition hoop. Do we shove all the Mai Tai tags under the rug in embarrassment and switch the name on the website to the “Blue Lagoon” in hopes that no one will wonder where that cool Blue Mai Tai hoop went? Do we justify the fact that Hoopnotica’s on the cutting edge and the only Mai Tai’s we drink are doused in Blue Curacao? or perhaps – we’re making a statement on the fact that if you drink one too many Mai Tai’s – you could end up looking black and blue…



I’ll leave it up to you. The Mai Tai will stay- a little piece of Hoopnotica lore that we can look back upon with fondness.

Here’s the recipe- try one this Labor Day weekend and think of us~~

THE ORIGINAL FORMULA
2 ounces 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum
1/2 ounce French Garnier Orgeat
1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao
1/4 ounce Rock Candy Syrup
juice from one fresh lime

Hand shake and garnish with half of the lime shell inside the drink and float a sprig of fresh mint at the edge of the glass.

THE HOOPNOTICA FORMULA
All of the above
EXCEPT- substitute Blue Curacao for Orange Curacao

Bust out your Hoop at the party and be amazed at the number of people who have no idea that a Mai Tai isn’t blue after all…

Xo,
Keaton