Shave ice is a fun addition to a wedding reception and Maui has lots of options for shave ice vendors. The choices available range from classic neon syrups in bright colors to organic local fruit flavorings, expensive and fancy to home styled and simple. Another popular idea is to feature cocktail inspired flavors such as pina colada, lava flow, blue Hawaii, or whatever your fancy and add a shot of rum or vodka to top it off for a lush cocktail. Shave ice is a cool idea for hot weather weddings.
Shave ice is a Hawaiian tradition brought to the islands by Japanese plantation workers in the late 1800’s. Fine ice is shaved off a block which makes the ice very fine and allows it to mix completely with the flavor syrups. It is typically served in a paper or plastic cup. Often a scope of vanilla ice cream or azuki bean paste is added at the bottom of the cup. Some of the many flavors include, pineapple, guava, coconut, lilikoi, li hing mi, lychee, mango, Thai tea, kiwi, tiger’s blood, watermelon and local Kula strawberry, add a snow cap, homemade azuki beans, fresh mochi balls or a scope of Roselani vanilla ice cream and you have a local Maui sweet treat to impress your guests.
