Malolo syrup was there.

For countless cold, car-sick, classic family trips up Mauna Kea to see the snow, Malolo syrup was an integral part of the trip, packed in with the blankets, the cocoa and the rice balls; the bright pink syrup guaranteed fun with snow too patchy for sledding and too scarce for a good snowball fight.

When thousands of tired, wired, spun-out children stumbled happily home from county fairs, the Malolo syrup stains on their T-shirts and chins proved that yes, indeed, they had a wild good time.

At ballpark carnivals, school socials, senior citizen meetings and church bazaars, Malolo syrup was there, sticky on the tile floor, dried on the dry grass, stained on hands and lips and the tip of a nose that got too deep into the ice-cake cup.

Look on the floor of the kitchen of any community center. Those big red blotches are where the juice was at the party. Malolo was there. Still is. That color lasts and lasts.

Malolo syrup is on that short, dear list of childhood favorites that have survived big-box marketing and new generations unwilling to do the hard work of their parents and grandparents, along with Roselani ice cream, Takamiya Market and POG juice.

It is an old friend, a reliable product. It doesn't taste different or strange or "new and improved." It's old and unimproved and perfect, all 28 grams of carbohydrates per serving.

Malolo Beverages and Supplies was incorporated in January 1956. It was an instant favorite for shave ice, punch bowls, strawberry milk and the occasional theatrical fake blood.

In the late 1970s, the plantation favorite "ice cakes," called "hard ice" in some circles, made a comeback among Hawai'i kids, particularly in towns without shave ice stands. Kids bought the frozen Malolo-and-water paper cups from the school cafeteria or made their own (kid recipes usually have a greater syrup-to-water ratio) at home.

You remember.

The cups were balanced along the door racks of the outside freezer. You couldn't line the cups on the wire shelves because they would slip between the cracks and spill everywhere, and who wants to spend play time freezing your fingers, scraping up pink ice from the bottom of the Kenmore?

Besides, there wasn't enough room on the shelves between the slabs of pork from Uncle Sammy's last hunting expedition and the bags of frozen black crab your neighbor proudly shared from the last camping trip. You had to close the door carefully and make sure your little brother didn't "check" too soon or too often.

But when it was done, it was so 'ono. Strawberry syrup with that unmistakable crab essence.

Malolo syrup was there, through all those childhood memories.

Thankfully, it still is.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.