Kiwi Dream – Cocktail of the Week

I love using seasonal ingredients when I cook, and cocktails are no different. There is something about fresh, ripe ingredients that just make them taste better!

I know, it's hard to think of what's in season in frosty cold February, but there's a lot to choose from!

The most obvious are citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines...I also LOVE pomegranates, but this week's cocktail is focusing on the yummy fuzzy fruit called kiwi!

Whip up a Kiwi Dream and let's all pretend we're someplace much warmer than Jersey!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz rum
• 1 fresh, ripe kiwi, peeled, and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/2 vanilla pod, sliced in half
• 4 oz. coconut water

Muddle the kiwi and honey together with the seeds scraped from inside the vanilla bean pod. Add the rum and coconut water, shake with ice, and pour into a glass. Garnish with a slice of kiwi and the vanilla pod. (Alternatively, you could build this all in a mason jar, put the lid on to shake it, and boom. One less glass to clean!)

Switch it up:

Use vanilla vodka instead of rum (and omit vanilla bean pod.)
Use superfine sugar instead of honey.
Try adding a little fresh lime juice.
Use more or less honey depending on how sweet (or tart) the kiwi is.

Bonus: You can totally make this kid-friendly by omitting the rum, and adding some club soda for fizz...or omit the rum, add a little vanilla yogurt or a frozen banana and throw it all in a blender!

*Please drink responsibly.*