coconut water -

by Emily

Getting Tropical with Coconut Water Vodka

I”ve been a fan of coconut water for years. It”s basically nature”s Gatorade: super hydrating and full of electrolytes. So, what better way to improve upon it than by turning it into something hella dehydrating that saps you of your energy? That”s right, I”m talking about sweet, sweet alcohol. There have been some coconut water cocktail recipes popping up around the Internet, and now Three Olives has taken it one step further by introducing a Coconut Water flavored vodka. Three Olives clearly knows I am a connoisseur of both coconut water and booze, so they sent me this huge sample pack to review.

Yes, Three Olives Coconut Water vodka is Elvis-themed. Why? According to the press pack:

Three Olives Vodka honors Elvis Presley with this refreshing Coconut Water Flavored Vodka to celebrate his long standing love affair with Hawaii and his legendary style and groundbreaking performances that have transcended time.

Hm. Okay, I”ll take it.

They”re not kidding about the COCONUT smell and taste here. If you”re not a coconut lover, this might not be the vodka for you. But! If you love sweet, tropical drinks, this could be your new magic ingredient. To be 100% honest, I”m not sure what the difference between coconut vodka and coconut water vodka is, but oh well. I”m guessing casino online they”re just riding the wave of the trend, and that”s fine. Anyway, here”s a cocktail two ways: the Three Olives version and my personal version. This is very sweet and coconutty, so cut it with some unflavored vodka and/or more soda water if you want it milder.

The Elvis

Top 5 Post-Holiday Detox Drinks

I realize Thanksgiving was almost a full week ago, but I”m still in full-on recovery mode. Everyone knows a good streak of Thanksgiving-level eating stretches all the way through Black Friday and into the weekend. After all, those leftovers aren”t going to devour themselves! Anyway, after an accomplished 4 days of pigging out, I usually feel pretty sluggish and ashamed (also proud! But also, there is some shame).

Wondering how to get back on track, or at least wean your body off the idea of getting stuffed with gravy and butter every second of the day? I have a couple secret weapons and tricks up my sleeve that I use to help me (and my poor, poor digestive system) feel better in no time. That photo above is a snapshot of my desk on the first day back to work after my large weekend. My living area basically looked like the beverage aisle at Whole Foods.

1. Coconut Water
Taste the tropics, y”all! This stuff is so great for refreshment and rehydration! It has just as much potassium as bananas plus tons of important electrolytes. You can basically think of it as nature”s gatorade. I first gave coconut water my official ES endorsement back in January 2012 and this miracle drink retains my loyalty to this day. My favorite brands are Zico (try the pineapple flavor!) and O.N.E.

2. Kombucha
Oh my dear, sweet kombucha! This fermented tea drink might sound funky, but just give it a try. It will help you balance your pH, cleanse out toxins and impurities, and really move your digestion along. Plus kombucha has trace amounts of alcohol! So it”s not like you”re completely depriving yourself, just trick yourself into thinking it”s a health cocktail or something. If you”re freaked out by the idea of fermented tea, try a bottle of GT Dave”s Synergy, which comes in delightful juice-blended flavors like guava, • individual health insurance companies could drop you for being sick or stop treating you when you reached annual or life-time limits. gingerade, and my personal fave, trilogy.

Trend Triple Threat

Last week , as I was consuming the above beverage, a friend pointed out that the locally-made, coconut water kombucha was basically the embodiment of current culinary fads.

If only it came in biodegradable packaging hand-painted by fairly paid women from a southeast Asian co-op, it would have been perfect.

in Drinks / Trends 0 comments

by Russell Warnick

Blendtec: A 99% Rationale

I love gadgets and my kitchen is full of them: mini-food processor, mini-crockpot, Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid, deep fat fryer, slow cooker… You get the picture, but one item I’ve always lacked was a blender…until recently. I splurged and went with a Blendtec Total Blender, $400 worth of blending goodness. Yes, $400. I get that this is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a blender when there are tons of cheaper blenders out there, and I’m sure something as simple as a Magic Bullet would suffice for smoothies.

Here’s my justification. I’ve been on a smoothie kick of late but the only place I can find one close to my office is at Whole Foods. They charge $7.50 a drink which I think is a little absurd for some blended frozen fruit and ice. A couple of bags of frozen fruit — enough for five smoothies — is $12, plus a carton of coconut water is $3.95. Instead of spending $37.50 on smoothies a week I’m now spending $15. A weekly saving of $21.50. In 19 weeks I’m going to be even. In 20 weeks that $400 Blendtec will start saving me money.

The BF thinks my rational is ridiculous. He thinks the idea of spending $7.50 on a smoothie to begin with is too much. I’m sure he’s not alone in thinking that. But he’s wrong. In addition to saving money, it’s pretty to look at and I will make many other things in the blender, not just smoothies — margaritas for instance.

Who’s right? Leave your thoughts in the comments, and enjoy a recipe for my smoothie du jour.