Pineapple Coconut Freshie

Number three on our rainbow countdown to summer drink list is: Pineapple Coconut Freshie. Simple summer drinks are a treat on hot days. A little something thirst quenching and tasty but not too sweet. Sparkling water is great way to sneak more water into your diet when you enjoy carbonated beverages, without adding all the sugar or caffeine.

Pineapple reminds me of Hawaii! The best part of this recipe is you have to make a lot and there are lots of refills or a nice big glass of it to enjoy. Oh, yeah and the head on this drink is so silky and smooth and tasty. I’ve been eating it with a spoon.

Pineapple coconut is the making of a pina colada, and of course this pairs well with rum. We chose to use the whole pinapple, just the juice, which is a traditional pina colada, just juice seemed wasteful and not as simple if you have a powerful blender.

Pineapple is sweet when ripe, obviously, but there are several ways you can make sure your pineapple is ripe before you start. The top leaves will come off easily when lightly tugged. The bottom will also smell like sweet pineapple and the colour turns more yellow as it ripens.

We started with half a cored pineapple, added a cup of coconut milk and blend thoroughly. Pour that in the bottom of a glass and add sparkling water. We flavoured ours with mint, just to bring a little extra to the glass. You can add ice cubes after or before the soda water. This drink 

This recipe made six glasses:

• half a ripe, cored pineapple 
• 1 cup of coconut milk

Blend smooth, add 2 oz. to the bottom of a glass and 6 oz. of plain or mint flavoured sparkling water. It helps to tilt the glass to the side like you were pouring beer.