Acai Health Watch

Some consume acai for weight loss, others as part of their beauty regimen.  But we also enjoy acai at happy hour.  Here’s Sara Hohn’s acai recipe for a refreshing acai berry cocktail.

Like the pomegranate martini and the cosmopolitan before it, will the acai cocktail (working title: Acai of Relief) be just another fruity booze fad or will it join Brazil’s famous caipirinha as a fully legitimized palliative?   With its unquestionable health benefits, an acai cocktail makes a traditional cosmopolitan look like Tab and a pomegranate martini like Ovaltine.   Should we expect to see $16 acai martinis or acai margaritas offered in hotel bars this summer?   Furthermore, will dried acai berries be as overhwhelmingly popular as craisins (dried cranberries) in the early 80s?  (And would they be called acaisins?)  Perhaps one day my farmers’ market will have an acai stand, in the way there is a wheat grass stand today.  The acai has come this far, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.

Here’s a loose approximation of my first ever acai cocktail experiment.  A word to the wise: acai may help combat macular degeneration, but it won’t prevent your hangover.

Acai of Relief

3 oz cachaca
3 oz acai juice
2 oz orange juice
2 oz lime juice
2 oz club soda
2 T agave nectar
2 T fresh chopped mint
mint sprig for garnish

Combine first six ingredients.  Mottle chopped mint with this mixture to release its flavor.  Strain and pour mixture over ice.  Garnish with mint sprig.

Acai: Sunshine Superfruit | Sara Hohn – Food… Brooklyn & Beyond.