Bruno Mars Explains How His Childhood in Hawaii Inspired His New Pop-Up Bar

Bruno Mars has officially opened the doors to his Selva Rum Bar in Hawaii. The pop-up is located at Fairmont Orchid, a luxury oceanfront resort in Kamuela. The hitmaker recently told People that his tropical upbringing solely inspired the business venture.

The 37-year-old was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, the capital of the Aloha State. “I grew up in Hawaii, and I’ve been performing in … O’ahu my whole life. As a young kid, you see all this joy, and when I’m performing on stage, everybody’s got a beautiful cocktail in their hand,” the 15-time GRAMMY Award winner told the publication. “You don’t understand, as a kid, that actually everything they’re drinking is rum—from piña coladas to mai tais to Blue Hawaiians, and now it even involves so many other delicious drinks.”

Mars explained that his bar offers a variety of rum-based drinks. He stressed that his mixologists use “fresh ingredients” in each perfectly-stirred cocktail.

“The bad version is a lot of times you’re drinking something sugary, that is way too sweet—a milkshake basically. And SelvaRey offers a higher quality rum,” he said. “We’re using fresh ingredients and keeping it clean and keeping it simple, and that prevents so many things, such as hangovers.”

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The “Just the Way You Are” singer said that each drink embodies what he looks for on a menu.
The seaside oasis also includes “savory snack” options and five signature cocktails inspired by Mars – the cold Brewno, the Uptown Punch, the Hollywood Colada, the Weekend at Bruno’s, and the Mojito Royale.

“So, as far as the bar goes, I want people to experience what I look forward to in a good cocktail,” he adds, telling the outlet that the bar is only open from 4 p.m. until the sun sets behind Pauoa Bay. The chart-topping artist said opening the bar before summer was a no-brainer.

“Because summer is upon us, and that’s kind of the dream, sipping a mai tai or piña colada on the beach. Who doesn’t fantasize about that?” questioned Mars. “My fantasy is going to an island, being on the sand, and having a rum cocktail. So, as far as the bar goes at the Fairmont, it’s this dream experience—and with high-quality rum in paradise.”

Mars is co-owner of SelvaRey, a rum brand. The Los Angeles-based company was launched in 2014 and includes a variety of aged blends. Mars designed the packaging, which features the label, the bottle, and a gift box.

“The bottle needs to reflect what’s [inside] and just the spirit around it,” Mars previously told The Hollywood Reporter. “Because when I tasted it, all of a sudden, I felt like I was sparkling. For me, personally, it’s the perfect thing after I’ve had a hard day, I want to smile, I want to listen to some music, or celebrate with my friends. So with rum, it’s a very uplifting, upbeat feeling.”

Upon joining the business, his primary mission was to make rum “sexy.” “[I’m proud] that the product speaks for itself. We are driven to make rum sexy and get people knowing about SelvaRey and drinking our rum. I think a lot of people have to get educated about rum,” noted the crooner. “I don’t think people really put the two and two together. When you’re drinking a piña colada, a mojito, a mai tai—it’s all rum.”

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Photo by Kai Z Feng / Atlantic Records