Celebrate the warm weather with a truly novel boozy delight; that is, this coconut mojito recipe.

I’ve been on a cocktail kick recently. However, it’s a lot more difficult to find a cocktail on a bar menu that is free of white sugar than you’d think. At this point, I am used to getting the stink-eye the moment I request a cocktail “without the added sugar, please!” Even so, most bars have pre-made sugar-based syrups that they pull from to make their cocktails, which make a sugar-free version virtually impossible. But I keep requesting my cocktails as such – I’d rather eat my calories and carbs than drink them.

The cocktail concept itself hinges on a the delicate balance among bitter, sour, and sweet components, so to get the ultimate boozy drink, it’s important to get the sweetness from somewhere, just not from white sugar!

The following coconut mojito recipe is a unique twist of a regular mint mojito. It blends coconut milk and coconut palm sugar into the mix for natural sweetness that won’t negatively affect your health.

What I like most about this coconut mojito recipe is that it is more filling than a regular mojito, so I tend to sip it slower and savor it fully! The coconut milk brings some thickness to the table without taking away from the cocktail’s iconic lightness. I usually go without the coconut palm sugar, as the coconut milk adds enough of a sweet touch to satisfy my palate.

Coconut Mojito Recipe

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 handful fresh mint leaves
• 1 lime, cut into small wedges
• 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar (optional)
• 2 ounces white rum
• 2 ounces coconut milk
• Ice
• Club soda

Directions

In a tall glass, combine mint leaves, lime wedges, and coconut palm sugar. Use a muddler to the muddle the mint, lime and coconut sugar together until the lime juice and the lime’s natural oils are released.

Pour in the rum and coconut milk. Stir and fill the glass with ice. Top the coconut mojito off with club soda. Serve with a garnish of fresh mint leaves and enjoy!

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The post Win Summer Before It Even Starts With This Coconut Mojito Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

When it comes to Europe, I’ve always been a proponent of fresh baked baguettes, a good chunk of cheese and a bottle of local wine as your best bet for a good meal; European culinary travel means not always having to shell out a fortune for good food. But Europe is also the epicenter of fine dining, known for luxurious restaurants and elaborate menus that elicit a sense of upper class. But just like in North America, times are changing, especially in light of recent economic woes, making inexpensive cuisine the new European chic.

What’s the latest Euro trend? Draft mojitos. Hand muddled lime is apparently so passe, at least when the premixed version comes at less than four euros a pop, which is good for both consumers pocketbooks and bars that have until now seen a decline in their clientele. Sure, a draft cocktail is undoubtedly less classy than a hand shaken and stirred concoction, but who knows, maybe the new invention will become something like the PBR of cocktails.

But it doesn’t stop at drinks. Some of Europe’s longstanding street food favorites are starting to get their own levels of new-found respect. Just last week a pita and falafel joint made the Belgian GaultMillau list, which is on par with Michelin or Zagat in terms of ranking restaurants. In a down economy, low key, traditional joints are experiencing a sort of revival, with emphasis on frugal instead of typical definitions of fine dining. This idea of “Bistronomy” puts a focus on simple, classic flavors, for which European cuisine is already known. Now it just happens to be hip again. As the AP is calling it: “Gourmet grunge.”

And, as it turns out, it might not even be all on account of less money. Scaling back and returning to classic recipes might just be because of a general desire to simplify.

Fed up with overly fancy cooking, several chefs in France and some in Belgium have opted out of the Michelin rating system in recent years, complaining that it costs too much to maintain stars and no longer gives them the sheer joy of cooking with simple ingredients.

Which means that baguette picnic lunch just made it to five-star class.

Image: athomson

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