For the Pumpkin-Coconut Soup, I used part of a 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk. Since I had 5.5 ounces left (almost 3/4 cup), I thought, “It’s cocktail time!” It’s a lovely fall evening, so I made a hot toddy with what I had on hand. It turned out to be both sweet and tart and both smooth and punchy.
Orange-Coconut Hot Toddy:
Ingredients
½ c water
1 ½ c orange juice or orange punch drink
¼ c lemon juice
½ c brown sugar
4 2” cinnamon sticks
5.5 oz coconut milk (almost ¾ cup)
1 c spiced rum
Direction
1 In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water, juices, sugar and cinnamon sticks; stir until sugar dissolves; bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let steep 20 minutes.
2 Return to heat; add coconut milk and rum; stirring until it reaches a nice hot beverage drinking temperature (steaming but not boiling). Remove cinnamon sticks (or for extra cinnamon flavor, garnish each mugs with one), pour into serving mugs and enjoy. (For a half-strength toddy, mix with half tea. I used an almond-cinnamon herbal tea. It was a great mellowing for this punchy toddy.)
