Everything here on Maui is simultaneously softer and stronger, fueled by a pungent wave of mana (the Hawaiian word for a spiritual kind of power) that infuses the land, and, in turn, suffuses the food and the people that are nourished by the land. I grew up on strong flavors: Lilikoi (passion fruit), coconut, calamansi (a hybrid of kumquat and lime), li hing mui (dried salted plum that packs the punch of a thousand pounds of MSG), nori seaweed, tahini, pomegranate, surinam cherry, Moloka’i sweet potato, curry. I crave strong flavor like I crave sex like I crave ocean.
Coming home to Maui, my sensory perception always feels heightened. I breathe, I eat, I drink, I cry, I laugh, all the same as anywhere else. And yet I am left, body and mind, with the imprint of some extrasensory texture. The footprint of mana.
As I was packing and readying posts for you while I was away, I knew I couldn’t leave you behind in the tropical cocktail fun. This mellow yet bold and jaunty little number packs the punch of a traditional margarita with the sultry tropical flair of coconut milk and kaffir lime. (Kaffir + lime + margarita = kaffirita, get it?!)
Kaffir lime is a citrus varietal that bears an extraordinarily aromatic fruit whose flesh is rarely juicy. Instead, its leaves and skin provide light floral and acidic notes to curries, drinks, and desserts. Here, it plays gently with coconut, agave, traditional lime, tequila, and sea salt for a dreamy cocktail as worthy of your pau hana (after-work in Hawaiian) relaxation as it is a lush afternoon in Hawaii.
Just close your eyes, click your heels, imagine yourself lazing back on a hammock with the ocean close by, and pick up the ingredients at Trader Joe’s on the way home. See you soon in virtual paradise.
Cheers!
COCONUT KAFFIRITAS WITH TEQUILA & LIME.
Ingredients
- 1 15.5 ounce can coconut milk
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 3 leaves kaffir lime optional
- pinch of salt to taste
- 3-4 tablespoons lime juice
- ice for shaking and serving
- tequila to taste
- kaffir lime zest or regular lime zest, for garnish
Instructions
- Empty coconut milk into a saucepan and add agave nectar, slightly crushed kaffir lime leaves, if using, and salt. Turn heat to low and stir using a wooden spoon just until coconut solids are completely melted into the liquid. Remove from heat and continue to muddle kaffir lime leaves, if using, about twenty seconds. Add lime juice and stir. Taste and adjust sweetness, salt, and acid as desired.
- Bring to room temperature. Prepare cocktail shaker with ice, add desired amount of tequila and infused coconut kaffir lime mixture, shake, and serve over ice. Garnish with kaffir (or regulalime zest and extra salt, as desired.
