Four Seasons Resort Maui Unveils “Modern Tropical” Concept at Reimagined Lobby Lounge

Helmed by star mixologist Ben Yabrow, the newly reimagined Lobby Lounge at Four Seasons Resort Maui is a celebration of the diverse and colourful flavours and flora of Maui. Featuring what he calls a “modern tropical” craft cocktail program, Yabrow has curated 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, which is based on modernising the treatment of the island’s tropical ingredients, into focus.”

The modern tropical craft cocktail selection celebrates the fresh flavours of Maui, incorporating refined and delightfully surprising twists on classics. Starting with bright daytime drinks and finishing with moody late-night selections, the cocktail menu is organised 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 new signature cocktail, The Talisman. “One of the primary inspirations was colour - in the menu and in the drinks themselves,” Yabrow explains. “For The Talisman, we distilled the concept of ‘tiki’ down to its primary seven ingredients, to 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 presented 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. Local dishes and flavours shine in the delicious items. Favourites include Kona kanpachi crudo, ahi poke flatbread, mochiko chicken banh mi, and for dessert, malasadas with vanilla coconut cream.

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

Wooden sculptures from Maui artisan Tim Garcia’s Shibusa series adorn the lounge. “The sculptures have cutouts that represent portals, linking the present and future,” explains Four Seasons Maui Art Director Rose Potter. “But they allow everyone their own reference point. I’ve heard guests describe them as surfboards or sails. Personally, I appreciate the totem energy they hold, without being representational tikis.”

The Lobby Lounge is open nightly from 5:00 to 11:00 pm. Guests enjoy Hawaiian music, hula and a torch-lighting ceremony nightly at sunset. For the latter half of the evening, the island’s most notable contemporary artists take the stage.  

About Beverage Manager Ben Yabrow

Ben Yabrow fell in love with cocktails while managing a college bar near his alma mater of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, but had his first "wow" moment in New York City. “I was sipping a Benton’s Old Fashioned at PDT. It was the first time a drink really knocked my socks off.” Yabrow’s passion and experience led him to Atlanta, where he served as beverage manager for Marietta Square's The Butcher The Baker before taking a bar manager role at Umi. He then created Atlanta’s most elegant bar program as the head bar manager at Himitsu before relocating to Maui in 2017. Now, at Four Seasons Resort Maui, Yabrow is most excited about working with the island’s fresh ingredients and local produce. “Things that are not readily available anywhere else in the country literally grow on trees on Maui,” says Yabrow, who recently led a complete reimagination of the Lobby Lounge cocktail program.