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At the weekend I gave myself Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, because to be honest all the excitement with Student Eatsbeing published, radio appearances, filming some recipe videos (which I can’t wait to share you) and the launch party I was totally wiped out. I crashed somewhere around Thursday afternoon, so I spent the most of the next three days out on the patio with All Out War(I know I usually read heavy political books anyway, but if you’re at all interested in the behind the scenes of how Brexit actually happened this is very readable and very compelling, for non-politicos too!) With my book I needed a good drink, and while I got happy on the Aperol Spritz for a bit, I was very proud of my two-ingredient Cheats Piña Coladas.
I’ve been making Piña Colada-style boozy ice lollies by freezing pineapple, banana and coconut smoothie (I prefer Innocent, but other supermarket own brands make pineapple and coconut tropical smoothie too) with white rum for years – they’re even in the book – but I’ve never actually dumped the whole thing in a glass before for a super easy, super quick and super delicious, cheats version of a piña colada. The traditional recipe calls for just the rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream over plenty of crushed ice, so really all you have to do is add a few tweaks (just write off the added banana in the smoothie as added nutrition – you don’t really taste it!)
Ice cubes work better with the smoothie than crushed ice, and as the coconut flavour usually needs a bit of a boost to make the drink taste a bit more authentic I used coconut rum – I love Aluna Coconut Rum from Guatemala, with toasted coconut and coconut water I order from 31 Dover. You can use plain old white rum like Bacardi here, but coconut rum really is best for the full tropical experience.
As always, the measurements below make just one cocktail, but depending on the size of your glasses I’d recommend making them in batches of four as that is about one smoothie bottle (and drinking is a pursuit best done in pairs, and you can never just have one!) but scale it up as needed. Cocktail umbrellas, brightly coloured straws and other tropical cocktail decoration (perhaps a slice of pineapple if you’ve got any?) not compulsory, but highly recommended!
Fill the glass to the top with tropical smoothie, and stir with a long spoon or your straw until the rum has mixed into the smoothie. Decorate your glass and enjoy in the sunshine!
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I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
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One Pan Pescatarian: 100 Delicious Dinners – Veggie, Vegan, Fish
My second cookbook contains 100 delicious dinner recipes, all of which are either vegetarian, vegan or which celebrate fish and seafood - all cooked in either one pot or one pan.*
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