Fall is my absolute favorite season. It used to be in large part because the weather cooled considerably and the winds picked up when I lived in Southern California. Living in Hawai‘i, the seasonal changes are much more subtle, but the season still ushers in a change in our activities. Keiki head back to school, the year begins to wind down and our social calendars begin to pick up as we enter into the biggest holiday season of the year.

It’s because of this that we chose the Fall to launch our very first “Drink” issue. The time is perfect and we have been excitedly waiting to share with you these stories and recipes. All over the islands, cocktail-centric events have been happening, new drinks invented, old standards are getting revamped and all these drinks are being sourced from the land we live on and love.

Inside these pages you’ll learn the history of Kōloa Rum, read about the changing trends in cocktails, the making of Shochu in Oahu and fueling high performance with raw organic juices. We also explore one of Hawai‘i’s fastest growing agricultural crops, tea, and discover what elseother than drinking- it’s being used for.

You’ll find quite a few cocktail recipes throughout the issue to help keep you celebrating all season long, and when it comes time to eat, there are also four recipes for soup in our Cooking Fresh department that I know you’re going to love.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is the season of Thanksgiving. In our last issue we celebrated our 9th anniversary and sent you all much gratitude for supporting the magazine as you do. I want to echo that sentiment again. Here at edible Hawaiian Islands, we feel that the entire state of Hawai‘i is our ‘Ohana. Your support keeps us going and inspires us to continue bringing you the best stories on food and drink that our islands have to offer us.

Know that as we gather this year at our tables of bounty, our thoughts are with you in deep gratitude.

Mahalo.

Elena Rego
Editor