The Ginger Dazzle from Kilimanjaro Foods, Inc. was the winning cocktail from our New Year’s Eve cocktail contest.  It was a tough choice with ten excellent recipes that had flavorful ingredients and beautiful garnishes.  When the votes were tallied, Ginger Dazzle was the most popular.

Ginger Dazzle

1 oz. Kilimanjaro Sunrise Ginger Syrup
2 oz. pineapple juice
3 oz. dry champagne

Pour ginger syrup and juice into a 6 ounce champagne flute, and stir well.  Add champagne, and stir gently.

Enjoy!

Having tried the recipe, it is the perfect way to fix that craving for a tropical drink.  Although I love the flavors in a pina colada, I find that the frozen versions are heavy and filling.  If I am going to indulge in a frozen drink such as that, I probably am not eating much of a meal with it.  However, this drink is light and makes the perfect compliment to munchies or dinner.

Even though I favored it for its lightness, it also is quite tasty.  Friends who are less concerned with the heaviness of the drink will find this drink to be enjoyable for the delicious combination of pineapple and coconut.

Whatever your motivation is for trying this drink (fewer calories, lightness, tropical cravings), you will find it to be a fun, new beverage to add to your drink-making repertoire.

Ciroc Skinny Colada

1-1/2 oz. Ciroc Coconut

1 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. skim milk

Fill martini shaker with ice and add vodka, juice, and milk.  Shake vigorously.  Pour into martini glass, and garnish with a lime wedge.

After our friends arrived, Vicki and I headed out to bring the first group of kids home from the movies, while my husband and OT ran the grill for the other group of kids.  We then traded kids and left the first movie viewing pair at home to eat, while Vicki and I drove group two to the movies.  Upon our return home, it was time for the adults to eat.

After enjoying our dinner, we were ready to relax after multiple trips to the theatre.  As the guys were going to do the last movie run, I decided to create a beverage for Vicki and me.  Having been making lots of tropically inspired drinks lately, I decided to continue the trend but add a twist- of lime.  Hence the unique name of this drink, PiCoLiBa- Pineapple, Coconut, Lime, & Banana.

Sitting in our dining room and sipping cocktails may have been far from an island vacation, but it did offer a relaxing and delicious way to end our evening.

PiCoLiBa

2 oz. pineapple coconut rum

2 oz. key lime rum

1 oz. banana liqueur

2 oz. pineapple juice

lemon-lime seltzer

2 lime wedges

Fill martini shaker with ice, and add both rums, liqueur, and juice.  Shake well.  Pour mixture into two martini glasses, dividing evenly.  Top with seltzer.  Garnish with lime wedge, if desired.

This past weekend our eldest competed in a tri-county cross country meet.  Of course, our best friends were in attendance with us.  To cap off our day, they joined us and two of our kids at home.  Having a little fun with the big sporting event, I created a Tri-Tini for the adults.  (The kids mixed juices, seltzer, and grenandine to make their own special beverages.)  Named the Tri-Tini to acknowledge both the event and the three ingredients with alcohol, this drink was tasty.

What better way to end a day with such great friends than to have a drink and enjoy their company?

The Tri-Tini

2 ounces blue curacao

1 ounce banana liqueur

4 ounces coconut rum

2 ounces pineapple juice

Fill a martini shaker with ice.  Add ingredients, and shake well.  Pour into martini glasses.

Serves 2.

If you have read my articles about martinis, you might have noticed that I prefer my beverages to have a fruity base. So, I went with my first instinct of a pineapple and coconut combination.  I thought about making frozen pina coladas, but that sounded too heavy for a late dinner accompaniment.  I decided to keep the drink simple and use extra pineapple juice from a dinner recipe.

Served over ice, this drink was light, flavorful, and the perfect accent to a candlelit dinner for two.  While we dined to the soft hum of central air instead of Hawaiian breezes, it was a romantic evening nonetheless.

Hawaiian Honeymoon

4 ounces coconut rum

6 ounces pineapple juice

Diet or regular lemon-lime soda

Fill 2 highball glasses with ice.  Pour 2 ounces of rum and 3 ounces of pineapple juice into each glass.  Pour a splash of soda into each glass, and stir gently.