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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

I’m burning my house down if I see a B-52 flying by.

Justsmallkinethings

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How local are you?</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @JustSmallKineThings, with a kamaʻāina quiz.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How local are you?

I’m burning my house down if I see a B-52 flying by.  Make sure you follow @JustSmallKineThings on Instagram!

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 — located on the ground level of The Twin Fin Hotel Waikīkī — recently celebrated its grand opening. It’s currently open from 5 p.m. to midnight from Wednesdays to Saturdays.

Individuals need to direct message the business on 

 to get the entrance password, which will change periodically. Right now, access to the speakeasy is on a first-come, first-served basis; no reservations are accepted.

“We want to keep the mystery of it, but we’re not keeping anyone out,” says Michael Miller, director of operations/partner of Tiki’s Grill & Bar.

“SinIceStir has been a passion project two years in the making, so this moment is a dream come true,” states managing partner Bill Tobin. “We created SinIceStir as an escape for adults looking for crafted cocktails in a more intimate setting, while still enjoying Waikīkī Beach views — and The Twin Fin Hotel Waikīkī had the perfect space for that.”

Both counter seating and booths are available in the speakeasy, which features a one-way glass, so guests can enjoy the views of Waikīkī Beach without passersby looking inside.

SinIceStir Speakeasy features handcrafted cocktails and Island flavors, coupled with the mystery and charm reminiscent of a hidden space. Its signature drinks and boozy shave ice were created by mixologist Jen Ackrill.

“I think the speakeasy connotation is dark and heavy; we came up with the concept of a beach-easy, since we’re right across from the beach,” Ackrill says. “We just wanted all of the drinks to be light and fun, but still delicious. We don’t want it to be too serious.

“I think people think a speakeasy is quiet and there’s all these rules, but if you think about the time where speakeasies were actually happening, it was rowdy,” she adds.

The most popular drink right now is the shave ice cocktail, called Hella Wanted ($32). It’s made with Blanco tequila, Aperol, lime, guava, mango, and li hing mui. It’s a tropical tequila sour, served over shave ice, which adds a refreshing element.

“The shave ice cocktail was the hardest one to make because you’re fighting science on that,” says Ackrill. “Shave ice is really fine, and alcohol loves to melt ice. We started trying to figure out what we could do to keep everything as cold as possible. The little bowls stay in the freezer; the cocktail itself stays in the freezer. It’s more of an interaction — you have a little shave ice, then you pour a little bit of the cocktail on it.

“The drink itself is called the Wanted, and I lived in California for a long time, so I thought ‘Hella Wanted’ was really fun,” she adds.

The Black Sands — which features an impressive smoking presentation — is a combination of whiskies and Giffard banana liqueur black lemon bitters with oak smoke

Other popular drinks so far include the Melona ($19) — Midori, Divino guava mezcal, yuzu, lemon, agave, saline black lemon and Ango orange bitters — and Kunia Quick Fix ($20). The latter includes Ketel One, Kō Hona Kokoleka, cold brew, ancho chili barrel-aged bitters and cinnamon dust.

The speakeasy also offers a variety of beers, wines by the glass, whiskey and more.

If you’re planning to visit the speakeasy, it’s recommended to park at Honolulu Zoo. Metered street parking is also available.

“We are very excited to finally be open and hope locals and visitors will seek us out for this new nighttime experience,” Tobin states.

Open 5 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays to Saturdays

Sin Ice Stir grand opening 072226

<title>SinIceStir Speakeasy opens in Honolulu</title>

The hidden lounge — tucked away behind SinIceStir Shave Ice — features handcrafted cocktails and boozy shave ice in a cozy setting, complete with views of Waikīkī Beach. Customers must message the business on Instagram for the speakeasy password, which changes periodically.

SinIceStir Speakeasy opens in Honolulu

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Tuesday was the deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters to 53 players ahead of the 2025 regular season, which begins on Sept. 4 when the Dallas Cowboys visit the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Below is the list of players with Hawai‘i ties on NFL rosters following Tuesday's cuts:

, defensive tackle, Indianapolis Colts (Punahou)

, quarterback, Cleveland Browns (Mililani)

, linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers (Saint Louis)

, defensive lineman, Las Vegas Raiders (University of Hawai‘i)

, quarterback, Washington Commanders (Saint Louis)

, receiver, Carolina Panthers (born in Hawai‘i)

, linebacker, New York Giants (Mililani and University of Hawai‘i)

, punter, Indianapolis Colts (University of Hawai‘i)

, interior offensive line, Pittsburgh Steelers (born in Hawai‘i)

, quarterback, Miami Dolphins (Saint Louis)

, receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers (Saint Louis)

Meanwhile, Hawai‘i alumnus and New England Patriots linebacker 

 was left off the initial 53-man roster after being put on injured reserve, though he is designated to return.

NFL Stock

<title>Players with Hawai‘i ties make the NFL cut</title>

Tuesday was the deadline for NFL teams to submit their 53-man rosters ahead of the 2025 regular season.

Players with Hawai‘i ties make the NFL cut

KAHUKU — A clear favorite has emerged in the Hawai‘i prep football scene in 2025. 

 of the 2024 HHSAA Open Division championship game, visiting Saint Louis marched into the North Shore and handled Kahuku in a 20-0 victory on Saturday night. The contest put a bow on opening weekend in Hawai‘i, the first state in the country to kick off its respective high school football season.

Year 2 of the Tupu Alualu era for Saint Louis began far more definitively than his debut season. Although the Crusaders went 9-3 overall, including a 17-10 win over Kahuku in the state title game, they began 2024 with a pair of close road losses, including a narrow 14-13 defeat to the Red Raiders. 

Saturday's contest marked nearly a year to the day that Alualu made his head coaching debut, also at Kahuku. On Aug. 10, 2024, Saint Louis built a 13-0 lead over Kahuku at halftime, only to see the Red Raiders rally with two touchdowns in the second half. 

Saint Louis built an identical 13-0 lead on Saturday night but finished the job this time. After the game, Alualu told his team to remain humble. The Crusaders, in turn, avoided any sort of trash talk after the game that may be customary when a high school team beats a rival. Over the course of a year, winning has become the expectation again for the Men of Kalaepohaku under Alualu.

"We're just grateful for Kahuku to let us come here and play them, giving us the opportunity for the first game for our preseason," Alualu said after the game. "For the school to give me the opportunity to be the head coach, to have great coaches around me, I'm so grateful. We work for this. I mean, it's only the beginning. Like I told the boys, we're going to start strong and we want to finish stronger."

Defensively, the Crusaders held the Red Raiders to 120 yards of offense. Kahuku quarterback Matai Fuiava completed four of his 16 passes for 17 total yards and two interceptions, the first of which was returned for a 44-yard 

Urijah Belaras touchdown that opened up the scoring for Saint Louis in the first quarter. The second was returned for 42 yards by Hawai‘i commit Jahren Altura in the second quarter. 

"It's game one," Saint Louis defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer told Aloha State Daily after the game. "Everybody's learning. Obviously, Kahuku is very talented. They'll get it together. They're an awesome team. They got a great staff, good kids, good community. It's just game one. They'll get it together. We started out fast, but we made a lot of mistakes we need to correct before we get into (ILH play) and doing those things. But really excited about how the guys played hard. We got to be tackling better and those type of things."

Although Saint Louis has a California commit in 6-foot-4 quarterback Nainoa Lopes, it was fellow senior Mose Lilo who got the start behind center for the Crusaders. Lopes was inserted into the game in the second quarter and finished out the game with 157 passing yards on 15-for-25 passing and a touchdown to top target 

"Today was just a team win. Everyone played a specific role," Lopes said. "We just executed."

While Kahuku has dealt with the fallout of former coach 

's removal, Saint Louis also had noise to block out leading up to Saturday's contest. 

In an Aug. 2 scrimmage at Farrington, disgruntled Saint Louis alumnus Fred Ulu-Perry was present on the sidelines and charged towards Alualu. In the days since, Ulu-Perry explained the encounter on his Instagram account, expressing that he had felt disrespected by Alualu. Ulu-Perry is not currently associated with the program other than being a former standout offensive lineman. 

"Coach Tupu does a fantastic job. It's all about the boys. That's what he makes it about," Kaumeyer said. "They know coach Tupu loves them. They know he's what Saint Louis is about, and then we keep the focus on that. I think even though there's a bunch of white noise, I think coach Tupu does a fantastic job to keep it together. 

"It's all about the kids. ... We look at certain things, and we don't want to get into fights. We don't want to do those things. We want to play Saint Louis football, and we compete at a high level. The whistle blows, we gotta get back in the huddle and go. So, I think Tupu has just done a fantastic job with the culture with what we want to get at Saint Louis. Very good support with Dr. (Glenn) Medeiros and Dr. (Brittany) Simmons. So, we just got to keep improving, and our boys got to keep doing what we do."

When asked about the week in preparation for the game, Alualu kept the focus on his current team. 

"It's a new journey. Same plan with God's plan. I think now the parents understand why I'm so hard with their kids. ... The culture that we have is to go home love your parents, put God first, be good with your siblings," he said. "I'm happy for the parents, I got to give them the kudos and the credit, for trusting me and trusting my coaches. I have great coaches. Happy for the kids, and you know, they love to play football. And I always say that Saint Louis football is a lifestyle."

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How local are you?

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How local are you?

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

Hawai‘i Scene on Social meets Hawai‘i Skies

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Neighborhood weather updates

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Island vibes

Most read