Cold weather makes the outdoors less hospitable. A warm kitchen invites like no other room in the house. Pulling together appetizers, a salad, main dish, and a couple of desserts, is a lot of work but also great fun.
With New Year's Eve tonight, I'm turning to an old favorite, a drink that evokes the sweetness and excitement of the tropics.
Because there are edible pieces of fruit at the bottom, include a spoon so the cocktail can be enjoyed as a drink and an appetizer all in one.
Tropical Rum Cocktail
Yield: 4
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup white rum
2 Fuyu persimmons, ripe, slightly soft, finely chopped
1 cup fresh orange juice, sweet
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
16 ice cubes
Method
Pour the white rum into a pitcher, add the powdered sugar, and stir well to dissolve. Add the finely chopped persimmons, orange and lime juice, and stir well to combine.
Put 4 ice cubes and a spoon into each glass, pour in the drink, making certain that the persimmon pieces are divided equally and serve.
Variations
Top with a fresh sprig of mint
Adjust the proportion of orange and lime juice, to taste
Substitute finely chopped mango, strawberries, kiwi, or fresh passion fruit for persimmons
