Pali Bottle Shoppe Inc

Remember your first love? I remember mine.
I remember Night Fishing (that’s what us guys called it) on the banks of the Arkansas River. Getting together with friends. The feel of silt between my toes. A large drift wood fire, the smell of lighter fluid, the cool October air, fishing lines cast, huddled together, the warmth, the taste of her lips.
I never cared much for the taste of beer growing up. It wasn’t till later that the acquisition came to me… but I like sharing cheap wine with Jamie. She was a curly blond headed goddess… and I was her man.
We shared wine… sweet, cheat, ghetto wine. Most of you only remember Mad Dog ²⁰⁄₂₀ as a joke on Eddie Murphy’s «Raw»…if that… but it and TJ Swan were my go to. Ice cold, hand to hand, lip to nozzle, and highly intoxicating… we shared bottles with friends while waiting… not for fish… but adulthood.
Funny what you find when not looking? I was just in Pali Bottle for a Pau Hana beer run and happened on my youth. I wasn’t sure I was seeing correctly? Was this the same Mogen David branded as MD ²⁰⁄₂₀? Called the Mad Dog?
At $ 3.99 a pint bottle it seemed even cheaper than I remembered (older friends often hooked me up!). I just had to have it. You might laugh… I don’t care. It is entirely to sweet for my palate now. When it washes across my tongue… still…I reminisce.
The nice couple at Pali Bottle filled me in about things in their past. Life in a simpler, yet more carefree time. They too, has shared this elixir. They too… had a fondness. That, I am guessing here, is why this is the only liquor store I know of to carry Mad Dog. I am grateful for remembrance… for desire… for lost innocence… and youth.
Pali Bottle is located at the corner of Oneawa and Kuulei Road… next to Central Pacific Bank in Kailua town. Here is nothing fancy, but often they run specials cheaper than other places, and I enjoy looking through their stock… never know? Maybe one day… I’ll find…

Wanted a bottle of Suntory’s Hibiki, and I was very happy they had one bottle left! The proprietress guided me through this visually delicious store with a friendly smile. I like stores like this, absolutely unassuming and fun to browse for discoveries!

Five stars based on the fact that it’s the only place on Windward side I know that consistently stocks Hinano Tahiti. If you’re a fan then you don’t need to know anything else.

Hey, what can i say, its a liquor store for goodness sake, how can it not get 5 stars! Their prices are very reasonable and they offer ‘past the sell by date’ beer. Be warned, however, the super cheap and old beer might not make you feel as good as expected!

Got a tip from a beverage distributor to head over to Pali Bottle Shoppe … great idea. Family-​run store w/​prices that seemed comparable to nearby Foodland and the selection was much more interesting. LOVED the Maui Coconut Porter!

They have the best selection of beer that I have found in Kailua so far, you can get some decent micro brewes (deschutes, rogue, sierra nevada) and they have a fairly good selection of wines also. This is were I get all of my tasty brew.

Not that I’m a lush, that much… They have the best selection of specialty booze. Why do you need specialty booze? Why not!