Piña Coladas

We were actually pretty spoiled this season in terms of weather. There were a few days in December where it was over 70F and unlike the year before, we didn't see any snow until just a few weeks ago. And though we've had just a little snow this morning, I think it's supposed to be warm enough that it'll all melt this afternoon. However, I'm super sick of winter already. The short days are depressing and I hate the way I shiver in my car all the way to work.

When I'm feeling blue, I tend to turn to food for comfort. I don't mean that I sit in my pajamas, shoveling chips in my face, weeping over a bowl of marshmallows and cartons of ice cream. I like to use food to cheer myself up. On this particular occasion, I turned to a favorite tropical drink that reminds me of beach holidays: the piña colada!

Ingredients [for 2]:
1 cup ice
2 cups diced pineapple
3 oz. Malibu
3 oz. Rumchata
3 tablespoons cream of coconut
1 cup coconut water
4 pineapple wedges
2 marachino cherries
2 tablespoons toasted coconut flakes

This is a super easy cocktail to make. It's just a little measuring and then the blender does all of the work.

Grab a blender and throw in the ice, pineapple, Malibu, Rumchata, cream of coconut, and coconut water. If you want, you can use frozen pineapple and omit the ice.

Give the whole thing a good whir in the blender until it's a smoothie-like consistency.

Pour the cocktails into chilled glasses and then garnish with pineapple wedges, cherries, and a little toasted coconut.

I had some cocktail umbrellas, but I thought it made the cocktails look a little too chintzy so I went with cute little pink flamingos instead. Much classier, right? I mean seriously though, this cocktail is made with good stuff like fresh pineapple and coconut water so it deserves a fancier presentation.

It's sweet and bright and delicious and it definitely transported me to toes-in-the-warm-sand comfort so I'd say it did the trick.

Cheers!