Hawaiian Paradise
Sit back in your chair.
Relax.
Close your eyes and imagine you are drifting... WAIT, don't close your eyes because then you can't read!
Let's try this again shall we?
Sit back. Relax. Hear the sound of gentle waves crashing on the beach. Your toes are buried deep in warm, white sand and the smell of coconut sunscreen wafts through the air. You can feel the balmy breeze temper the intensity of the hot sun on your skin as the taste of cold Hawaiian Paradise hits your lips...
What the heck is Hawaiian Paradise?! Well, I am here to serve up your delicious Kauai dream, babiessssss.
At the end of February, I was lucky enough to join my parents in Kauai for my dad's birthday. When presented with an opportunity to go to Hawaii, who wouldn't go?! After a very rainy start to the new year in San Francisco, I couldn't wait to jump in the salty water and start my summer tan a few months early. Perhaps sip on a Mai Tai or two?
Well, sadly, the rain did follow me to Kauai but that didn't stop us from enjoying sunny breaks on the beach and delicious fish tacos indoors. There's something about being in Hawaii that just makes you relax a little more, even when there are flash flood warnings. Maybe its the friendly people, or the lush greenery, but I'd like to think the tropical fruit helps. By the time it was time to leave, I knew I had to create a special drink to capture the spirit of our Hawaiian vacation. I picked a bottle of Koloa Coconut Rum and started brainstorming.
Back on the mainland, I scoured a local World Market to find Guava and Passion Fruit Juice. Turns out, you can actually find Ceres Juices at most grocery stores too. With a simple combination of these juices, a splash of pineapple and a shot of authentic Coconut Rum, I had found my perfect Hawaiian Paradise; with crushed ice of course. It really is like sipping on the taste of a tropical vacation, easily transporting me back.
Hawaiian Paradise
2 oz Guava Juice/Nectar
2 oz Passion Fruit Juice
1 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Coconut Rum (Koloa recommended)
1/2 cup crushed ice
optional dark rum float
Combine juices and rum in cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour over crushed ice. Slowly pour dark rum over a spoon to create a "rum float". Sip and enjoy! Mahalo!