Piña Colada Frozen Yogurt Cocktail

I’m going to have to get serious about the advent of fall soon but it’s August and I’m still in summer mode and nothing says summer cocktail to me quite like the Piña Colada. Put on your most colorful shirt, close your eyes for a moment and let’s pretend we’re immersed in the island life. Can’t you just smell the sea, feel a warm tropical breeze waft over you and hear Jimmy Buffet singing ”If you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain’ and want to hang onto summer a bit longer with me? Labor Day is almost here and my last bash will most definitely be an ‘island moment.’

The Piña Colada was created on August 16, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico as a signature drink to serve it’s star studded guest list. It is a sweet libationl made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice and most often garnished with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry (as much as I loved my homemade maraschino cherries, for some reason this particular dessert just screamed for that bright red orb!). All of those ingredients seemed perfect for a Labor Day barbecue dessert. It’s been hot all summer and it seems this week will be no exception so I wanted to keep it light and this dessert in the form of frozen yogurt with pineapple and coconut seemed perfect.

I’ve been working with the folks at Bacardi this summer, specifically sampling the new Bacardi Classic Cocktails Light products. My guests and I loved the Bacardi Light Mojito I served at a barbecue a couple of weeks ago so I thought it only fitting to plan this end of the summer getaway with a bash that included the Bacardi Light Piña Colada; like its’ Mojito cousin, it also includes natural flavors, real juice and pure cane sugar. The big difference? SO easy to prepare and far less calories…really…what’s NOT to love?

Of course I could be super repetitive and serve my guests both the regular and high test versions of this cocktail but if you haven’t noticed Ive gone ice cream CRAZY so something else was on my mind this time around. I should have opened that new ice cream maker months ago because now I’m trying to cram in as many treats as I possibly can…any chance you’ve noticed?

Our menu for Labor Day is going to be kept simple; I’ll serve the Bacardi Piña Coladas with dinner which will include this crostini with tomato for appetizers, some grilled shrimp, my favorite rice with cilantro and frozen yogurt for dessert. I love that it looks oh so decadent but it’s made with yogurt and coconut milk…much lighter than cream, more cream and then half and half to lighten the cream (Oh yes I did!). I guess you could say I made my ice cream a Piña Colada Bacardi Light version too! Wanna come over?

Piña Colada Frozen Yogurt with Pineapple and Coconut

Ingredients

• 3 cups regular Greek yogurt
• 1 can (1 & 1/2 cups) coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 4-5 Tbsps rum (I used Bacardi Dark but Light works great too)
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or if canned, drained
• 2 Tbsp of drained pineapple juice
• Toasted Coconut for garnish
• Maraschino Cherries

Preparation

Combine everything but the toasted coconut and maraschino cherries in your food processor or blender and blend until smooth but still just a bit chunky.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Remove from ice cream maker into freezer safe contain and put into the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Scoop into cones or ice cream dishes; top with toasted coconut and a cherry.

Enjoy!

Notes

Best prepared the day before planning to serve to allow for cooling of the ingredients and freezing after processing in an ice cream machine.

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http://www.creative-culinary.com/2012/08/labor-day-party-food-cocktails/

This recipe brought to you by © Creative Culinary | A Food and Cocktail Blog | Website: www.creative-culinary.com

BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is a new line of low calorie, ready to serve cocktails. At less than 95 calories for a 4-ounce serving, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is available in Pina Colada and Mojito flavors and is made with natural flavors, real juice and pure cane sugar. Whether enjoying a favorite cocktail after a long day or throwing a party, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails deliver classic cocktail taste that’s a hit with friends, won’t add inches to your waistline and won’t take all day to prepare.

Compensation was provided by Bacardi via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Bacardi.