A popular Trini drink : Rum and Coconut Water

By Shivan Jaikaran, 17 September, 2020

A very popular drink that can be found at many parties in Trinidad and Tobago is rum and coconut water. Amazingly this drink is not very popular globally. I am not sure if this drink originated in Trinidad and Tobago but it is definitely consumed within the Caribbean region, particularly in Trinidad and Tobago.

This is a very simple drink to make. Don't try to make it too fancy, you are just going to ruin it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 ounces (approx 2 shots) of a legitimate golden rum
  • Fresh coconut water from an actual coconut
  • Angostura bitters
  • 1-2 small blocks of ice

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a chilled Tom Collins glass (or just a tall glass), add the ice(not crushed)
  2. Add the rum
  3. Top up the rest of the glass with coconut water
  4. Add 1 dash of Angostura bitters
  5. Stir and serve (no garnish needed but a tiny umbrella is cute. You can optionally use a cucumber garnish). Don't use a plastic straw. Save the Earth.

IMPORTANT TIPS

Do not use any spiced or flavoured rum. You do not want to overpower the flavour of the coconut water. Something like Mount Gay Rum can work. If you want to make a weaker drink, use 1 shot of rum. For a stronger drink, use 3 shots. Personally, I find that 2 shots is ideal for a tall glass sized drink.

You can also serve this drink in the actual coconut. Follow the same instructions as above except do not use the glass.

If you use more than 2 blocks of ice, the ice will eventually melt if the person drinking it is a slow drinker. Then the drink becomes more watery. This is why I recommended 1 or 2 blocks of ice. The coconut water should be chilled prior. Less ice is better.

1 dash of Angostura bitters literally means 1 drop. As Bob Marley said "Feel it in the one drop". Not 2 or 3 drops. Anything more than 1 drop will ruin the drink. Also, use original Angostura bitters, not the fake ones.

There is no need to add the coconut pulp. Just straight up fresh coconut water.

Get your hands on a high quality coconut if possible. High quality in this case means the sweet ones. Absolutely do not use the coconut water sold in the juice packs. These contain preservatives and personally I have no idea why they call this "coconut water". That is a real tragedy.

Please, do not add sugar even though it might be very tempting to do this. Real coconut water already has natural sugars. This is not meant to be a sweet drink. Let the flavour of the natural coconut water be the dominant taste.

There you have it, my favourite drink in the world to quench any thirst on a hot summer day at the beach. Cheers!

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