Disclosure: Cocozia provided me with a 12-pack of their coconut water in exchange for an Amazon review and a blog review. All opinions expressed are my own. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t say I did. I’m not a liar, you guys!
Literally three days before I got an email from Cocozia about reviewing their product, Dennis and I were discussing coconut water. (I realize that sounds like one of those things bloggers make up to make their review seem more relate-able, but I swear it happened.)
He had tried coconut water before and was a big fan of it, and I’d never tried it, mostly because it’s just so doggone expensive. So what I’m saying is, I was pleased to be able to try it, and even more pleased to have a reason to create a recipe of my own. (As opposed to my usual method of “take someone else’s recipe and change it around.)
For me, and I’m not going to lie, the water is a little on the pricey side. But then again, I’m super cheap.
Also, (and man, Cocozia’s going to be hating me at this point. I promise the review gets better!) when I first tried it, I really didn’t like it.
But then I read the packaging (as you do), and discovered that you’re not supposed to drink it warm — it’s supposed to be chilled.
So I stuck them in the fridge and tried one with my breakfast the next day, and it was good! It was super refreshing, and I actually felt…quenched? I can say it’s 300% better than California tap water, but on its own, it really is quite good.
If you’re looking for the super-sweet drinks a lot of people reach for a lot of the time, this won’t be your jam. However, if you’re really thirsty (and it’s summertime. Of COURSE you’re really thirsty) or, better yet, just went to the gym and are trying to refresh, this stuff is a great choice.
The only true downfall (and it’s not even a real downfall! It’s only because I’m a Type 1 diabetic) is that it’s got carbs in it, so I had to take insulin whenever I drank it. But it’s natural sugars, so I can’t really be too mad about that.
For those of you concerned with such things, Cocozia’s coconut water is USDA certified organic, kosher, vegan, and gluten free.
All in all, I give it an A, and I liked it enough to make a cocktail with it! See below for the recipe.
SoCal Coconut Colada
Makes 2
A Sarah Cooks the Books Original
4 shots coconut water
4 shots pineapple juice
4 shots triple sec
Brown sugar, with which to rim the glasses
Orange slices, for garnish (optional)
Rim your glasses with the brown sugar. I found the best way to accomplish this is to pour a little triple sec into a small bowl and pour the brown sugar onto a plate. Dip the tops of the glasses into the liquor, then dip them in the sugar.
As for the drink itself, you can do this one of two ways.
1) If you’re super prepared and awesome, add ice to a cocktail shaker, then add all your liquid ingredients. Shake well, and pour into your rimmed glasses.
2) If you’re like me, and you just finished unpacking your house after moving cross-country, and you’re sure you own a cocktail shaker, but just can’t seem to put your hands on it, pour your ingredients into a cup, stir with a (clean!) chopstick, divide between the two glasses, and add a Super Classy Ice Cube™ to each glass.
Garnish each glass with an orange slice.
