Creamy Coconut & Vodka Punch

When I was about 21 years old, I traveled to the Caribbean for the first time. It was me and my adventurous girlfriends. We flew into Puerto Rico, and from there we headed to St. Thomas. It was vibrant and beautiful and honestly one of my very favorite vacations. While on that vacation, I tasted mango rum! To this day, I’ve searched high and low for anything that tastes as good as the mango rum I enjoyed in St. Thomas. Ah, those long, lazy days and not a care in the world. I felt like I was really growing up, meeting people from other countries and just figuring out who I was. I stopped caring about covering my face with makeup or washing my hair obsessively every day. Seeing how other people lived gave me this sense of freedom I hadn’t experienced prior.

When I opened my first bottle of mango vodka from Heritage Distilling, I wasn’t planning on being transported back to an 85-degree day, laughing in the back of a rented mini-van, headed to the ferry boats leaving for Yost or St. John with my best pals in the Virgin Islands. Although it’s a completely different spirit, being vodka and not the rum I remembered, it absolutely shares the smell and flavor of that tropical getaway where I first started really getting to know myself. I had just purchased my first home, and I was really on my own. Twenty-one years old: crazy!

When we came home, I brought a bottle back and we would made these citrus cocktails only on special occasions. That mango paired with the citrus we would muddle, and sometimes we’d add a little splash of coconut. This is the ultimate girly-yet-independent cocktail. I hope you will mix up a batch and enjoy them with people you love. This mango vodka and the coconut vodka are absolutely the best I’ve ever tasted. So proud to partner with Heritage Distilling!  

1 orange, sliced
2 limes, sliced

8-12 oz. lemonade concentrate (depending on how sweet you’d like it), found in the freezer section of your grocery

16 oz. Coco Lopez or cream of coconut
8 oz. Heritage Distilling Mango Vodka 
8 oz. Heritage Distilling Coconut Vodka

24 oz. of mango or lime sparkling water
2-3 cups of ice

In a large serving pitcher, muddle the citrus with the lemonade concentrate. Add the cream of coconut and flavored vodkas. Top with the sparkling water and ice. Stir and serve. If you are making this punch in advance, add everything except ice to the pitcher. When ready to serve, add ice.

Thai-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Cups, or Chicken “Larb”

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup red onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. hot Thai chili paste or sriracha

Salt to taste
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 head iceberg lettuce
1/4 cup chopped toasted peanuts

2 ripe, fresh California avocados

1 medium jalapeño, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 cup chopped green onions

In the work bowl of your food processor, pulse chicken thighs, onion, garlic, and pepper until finely ground. Heat olive oil in a large skillet with tall sides over medium-high heat and add ground chicken. Season with soy sauce, chili paste, and salt to taste. Brown chicken until golden and completely cooked through and drizzle with sesame oil. To assemble lettuce cups, wash and quarter iceberg lettuce. Peel off 2-3 leaves from each quarter, then fill with cooked chicken, sprinkle with peanuts, and top with fresh California avocados, jalapeño, cucumber, and green onions. Add an extra drizzle of sesame oil, soy sauce, and/or chili paste over the lettuce cup.

Fresh California Avocado & Chimichurri Breakfast Bowls

Yay, it’s avocado season, and we’re obsessed, everybody! Fresh California avocados are a vibrant, flavorful fruit that are not only delicious — they’re in season, which is good news for all of us. These avocados are great for lunch and dinner, but today we’re doing breakfast and there’s no better way to start your day than with the fruit that’s tasty, healthy, and, let’s be honest, pretty to look at. These fresh California avocado & chimichurri bowls are just plain good! Make ‘em and see for yourself! They also happen to be #whole30.

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Inactive baking time: 35 minutes

2 large fresh California avocados, halved and pitted
4 cups baby potatoes, quartered 
2 Tbsp. olive oil 
Salt and pepper to taste

8 poached or fried eggs 

1 head butter lettuce

1 cup marinated onions (see recipe)
1 cup Chimichurri sauce (see recipe)


Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and add potatoes, olive oil, and salt and pepper to the pan. Gently toss to coat the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper. Bake 30-35 minutes. Bring 4 inches of water to a simmer and gently crack eggs into the simmering water. You can safely poach up to 3 eggs at a time. Do not disturb the egg for 30 seconds. Do not allow water to boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently move egg around to ensure even cooking. Ninety seconds produces a perfect poach. To assemble the bowls, layer lettuce, potatoes, 2 poached eggs, chimichurri and an avocado half topped with marinated onions in each bowl. Sprinkle flaky salt on top of each bowl and enjoy!

Chimichurri Sauce

1 bunch cilantro, rinsed
1/2 cup olive oil (or more, to taste)

Juice of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove
Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped but not puréed, keeping a bit of texture. This keeps 3-4 days in the fridge. Bring to room temp to serve.

Marinated Onions

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
A squeeze of lime

Add all ingredients to a bowl and allow to marinate for 2 hours before use. These are best eaten within 48 hours. Store in the fridge.