Virgin Pina Colada

Piña colada is a sweet cocktail made with coconut and pineapple juice. I made it kid-friendly, but the authentic version requires a few shots of rum.

Les beaux jours sont de retour! "Sunny days are back" and I thought it would be a well-deserved drink to bring to my husband after a long day at work. When Lulu came home, I told him to lie down in a long chair outside on the deck and wait for me. I whipped up the cocktail for him (and for the girls as well) and brought a tray full of the piña colada drinks. His reaction was: "Oh, you read my mind, sweetie. This drink reminds me so much of our anniversary trip to Cancun!"

Sweet Tamarind Drink (Nuoc Da Me)

Nước đá me, literally "tamarind ice cubes" in Vietnamese, is a fairly common drink in Vietnam. It's served in various ways, such as with salted key lime rind preserves, but today I made it with fresh pineapple purée. It's sweet and tart at the same time but most important, it's so refreshing!

Tamarind is quite popular in Asian and South Asian cooking. I usually eat the fresh pods as they are, and use tamarind concentrate or tamarind powder for cooking.