Tropical Cucumber Cooler Cocktail

Tropical Cucumber Cooler Cocktail

This has been my summer of discontent. That’s not to say that there haven’t been moments of contentment, but it’s simply been almost unrelentingly too hot and humid. And in the midst of all this sweltering, most of you will know what I mean when I say working 24/7 is the only way to make a real living these days!

It’s not often that Iím tempted by tipsy indulgences, but when I ran across this rum-spiked cucumber cocktail on the In The Raw site, I was intrigued. I love all manner of cucumber drinks, and the idea of combining the ultimate cooling veggie with pineapple juice, mint tea, lime juice and a splash of rum sounded divine. Now that August has brought some relief in the way of lovely evenings, this gentle cocktail sounded like a nice way to celebrate having survived this season by enjoying it with dinner out on the patio.

I’ve been trying to use more Stevia as a sweetener for some time now, and the fact that it’s used to sweeten this cocktail sealed the deal for me (for anyone unfamiliar with Stevia, it’s a sweetener derived naturally from an herb stevia rebaudiana, native to parts of South America. Its sweetness is super-concentrated and practically calorie-free). While I donít have a huge sweet tooth, I appreciate a little something sweet as a treat once in a while. To that end, I prefer natural sweeteners in modest amounts, including natural granulated sugar, agave nectar, and, of course, Stevia.

If you’d like to learn more about these natural sweeteners, one good place to do so is In The Raw, where youíll find information, recipes, and even coupons. In The Raw has generously offered a chance for VegKitchen visitors to win a $100 Cooking.com Gift Card — all you need to do is leave a comment on the post, telling us which recipe on the In The Raw site youíd most like to make. See sweepstakes rules at the end of this post.

You can also tempt your all-natural sweet tooth at In The Rawís fun Hot In The Raw photo gallery, where cooks everywhere have shared their most enticing In The Raw creations. Share your own recipes and photos as well! The Au Natural In The Raw app lets you pixelate your photos to make them even more visually interesting when sharing!

Getting back to the point of this post — the Tropical Cucumber Cooler Cocktail didnít disappoint! My husband and I enjoyed it with a simple outdoor meal of spicy cold peanut butter noodles and fresh corn — in all, a lovely antidote to a challenging summer. I’m not one for regular cocktails, but I’ll definitely be keeping this incredibly refreshing cucumber drink in my beverage rotation, usually minus the rum; the virgin version is just as delicious. Cheers! Here’s to a cool, comfortable, and less challenging fall.

Tropical Cucumber Cooler Cocktail

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup cucumber juice
• 1/2 cup peppermint tea
• 2 packets Stevia In The Raw or 4 teaspoons granular Stevia In The Raw
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 ounces white rum

Fill two 12-ounce tall glasses halfway with ice cubes. Pour into each glass, half the pineapple juice, cucumber juice, mint tea, and lime juice. Add 1 packet Stevia to each glass, and the rum, if using. Garnish with the rosemary and mint. Serve immediately. Note: To make cucumber juice, peel and cut 2 Persian cucumbers or 1 medium cucumber into 1/2-inch slices. Whirl in a blender with 1/4 cup water until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer, pressing firmly on the solids. Tightly covered, refrigerated cucumber juice keeps for 2 days.

Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post. b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post. c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post. d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 9/10/12-9/30/12. Be sure to visit the In The Raw page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!