Ginger Beer, Rum, and Coconut Sorbet Recipe

Despite my love of booze in an increasing number of desserts, I'm a wimpy drinker. So I have a soft spot for frou-frou drinks where alcohol enhances an ensemble of flavors rather than dominates them. If you're a spiked beverage fan but also a cheap date, this sorbet may be just the thing for you.

Only after I served this was I told it was basically a scoopable Dark and Stormy. But that's no problem for me—the combination of ginger beer and dark rum is pretty awesome. Just be sure you've got ginger beer; ginger ale is just too monochromatically sweet and lacking in character to stand up to the cold of sorbet. My favorite brand is Reed's, which has some serious bite (especially the extra strong variety).

The addition of coconut milk brings this firmly into umbrella drink territory. Tiki cup aside, it gives the sorbet a creamy texture and pronounced nutty finish to round out what would otherwise be just sweet and bracing. The coconut fat—along with the rum—softens the sorbet enough to let you cut out some sugar to tone down the sweetness. This is still a sweet dessert, but raw sugar gives it some added dimension.

For a more pronounced bite you can grate some fresh ginger into the base, but if you're looking for a dump-and-stir after dinner treat, you can skip it. To complete the Dark and Stormy homage, serve with some lime zest on top. And if your taste for hooch goes stronger, a spoonful or two of rum drizzled over each bowl wouldn't be a bad idea either.