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Coconut water, lime, ginger, salt. The Free Pour answer to a margarita without trying to be one — bright, salty, hydrating, the drink that converts skeptics on hot days.

Coconut water has been a working drink across the tropics for thousands of years — Filipino farmers, Caribbean fishermen, West African market vendors. The American premium-coconut-water industry only emerged around 2010; before that, it was either canned at the Asian grocery store or you cracked a coconut. The cocktail application is new; the drink itself is ancient.

Ingredients

• Fresh Lime Juice½ ounce
• Ginger Syrup¼ ounce
• Flaky Salt1 pinch
• Coconut Water5 ounces
• Lime Wheel1 each
• Mint Sprig1 each

Directions

Combine lime juice, ginger syrup, and a pinch of flaky salt in a highball glass. Fill with ice. Top with chilled coconut water. Stir gently. Garnish with a lime wheel and a fresh mint sprig.

Notes

Use real coconut water — not the sweetened bottled kind. Vita Coco's plain expression, Harmless Harvest, or a fresh coconut if you can find one. The salt is non-negotiable; without it the drink tastes like a kids' juice.