Drink of the Moment: Rumchata Colada

No one ever said that drinking will make you skinny, so my cocktail better be worth it if it's going to have the potential to make me go up a size.  This especially holds true for the standard Pina Colada.  Once upon a summer, in a galaxy far far away - I'll call it my youth - I may have had a fair sprinkling of this fair frozen creamy pineapple-y coconut-y drink during the warmer months, but these days the harsh reality of the calorie has set in, and I usually only splurge on one of these fat floats once a year.  This year, that special moment happened to come early for me with the first really warm snap we had.   


You may remember that I LOATHE pre-fabbed mixers where you just add the alcohol, and will usually not even waste my efforts in that direction.  The Pina Colada is no exception -- well, unless maybe I'm sitting at the infinity pool bar in a wonderfully tropical location.  Anyway, I digress.  When Jay wanted whip up some Pina Coladas from scratch (which is really a lot easier than it may sound ... and yummier too), I was only luke-warm to the idea with it being so early in the season.  I mean, did I really want to blow my single Pina Pass this early this year?  And then, something magical happened that changed my perspective.  I realized I could try making it this way ... sans pineapple!

THE RUMCHATA COLADA

Ice Cubes

1/2 cup light rum (I used Bacardi)

1/2 cup Rumchata

1/2 cup coconut cream

1/4 cup coconut milk

Fresh pineapple & maraschino cherries for garnish

Fill blender with ice cubes.  Add rum, Rumchata, coconut cream, and coconut milk.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into your glass, and garnish with fruit.

YUMM-tastic I tell you.  It really was all that even without the pineapple (well, except for the garnish), and who doesn't love having a whole pitcher of happy sitting right in your fridge - even if it does mean you have to eat nothing but lettuce for a day or two.  If you don't have Rumchata in your local market, try picking up some horchata and adding a little more rum, or maybe finding a recipe for it ... like this one here.  Totally.  Worth.  It.  The best part about all of this though; I am technically still holding on to that annual 'Pina Pass' if I do find myself at some fabulous infinity pool bar in a tropical vacation spot feeling mighty thirsty.  Splurge on!     

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Drink of the Moment: Kiwi Colada

Ok people, get ready to whet your whistles cause I've got another good one for you!  Unlike the last exceptionally popular drink of the moment that could still very easily have been thrown together twelve drinks in, this one actually does require a little prep work with a sharp utensil, so make sure you have things geared up ahead of time if you're planning on having a multiple batch kind of night ... eh hem, or day.  


I present for your consideration ...

... THE KIWI COLADA!

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)
Calories: 143

Ingredients

Try prepping your kiwi in bulk.

• 5 peeled kiwifruit, divided     
• 3 cups ice
• 1/4 cup light rum
• 1/4 cup Midori (melon-flavored liqueur)
• 3 tablespoons Cream of Coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

Preparation

• Cut 4 kiwifruit into quarters, and place in a blender. Set remaining kiwifruit aside. Add ice and remaining ingredients to blender; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a pitcher; discard seeds. Divide evenly among 6 glasses. Cut remaining kiwifruit into 6 slices; garnish each glass with 1 kiwifruit slice.

Cynthia Nicholson, Cooking Light 
JUNE 2005

I promise the prep work does pay off when you sip on this tasty beverage, and I certainly didn't waste my time straining or discarding any kiwi seeds (that I'm pretty sure most people eat in the fruit anyway). Who doesn't need another frozen yum yum drink to beat the (what seems to be dwindling) heatwave most of the North American continent has been dealing with - or to send out the summer with a bang.  So, go now I say, and indulge in this frosty wonder of a beverage before it's too late!

Drink of the Moment: Frozen Lemonade with Coconut Rum

With all of the oppressive heat most of the US has been dealing with the past few days, I don't know many that couldn't use a nice frozen drink - sweating it out without one might actually be considered cruel and unusual by some.  With that in mind, I thought I would share a drink that will not only help you cool down, but also won't sabotage your summer 'slim down'.  Not only is this one fabulous and frozen (I guarantee you'll want more than one); it's super easy, and only requires a few basic ingredients (that don't include sour mix, coconut milk, or ice cream).   Also, it's not nearly as boozy as some of my other 'Drinks of the Moment', which means you might actually be able to enjoy one or two on your porch or patio after sunset without experiencing any debilitating symptoms of dehydration ... or, maybe you should just stick with sitting in the air conditioning, and looking out the window at your sweltering porch or patio.  Either way, enjoy and try to stay cool out there!  :)

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• YIELD: 1 serving (serving size: about 1 cup)
•               172 calories per serving
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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups ice cubes, crushed
• 3 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate
• 2 tablespoons coconut rum (such as Malibu)
• Lime wedge (optional)
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• Preparation
• Place ice, concentrate, and rum in a blender (I used a Margaritaville Mixer to make the ones above, but a standard blender would do the trick wonderfully); blend until slushy. Garnish with lime wedge, if desired.

Elisa Bosley, Cooking Light
MARCH 2007