I used to hate rum. And to be specific, flavored rums. Well, that might be somewhat of a lie. What that really means is, rum and the candied variations, were beginner liquors for me and my entry-level drinking self. Yeah, surprise–what's sweet and doesn't taste like alcohol is easier to drink. Like Malibu and Bacardi's Grand Melon, and all that is plastic bottles and cheap. Aka, living the dream. Aka, having pretty sad dreams when I was younger. My point is, it's not that I hated rum, I just didn't know much about what rum could be. And I was haunted –and slightly queasy– by where cheap rum took me that I deemed it as a dislike forever. And I would have to give it some time, or a long time, before revisiting it as something drinkable.

Enter, mid-level drinking self. I think it goes without saying (but I'm going to say it anyway) we all learn about imbibing as we get older. And we learn that, just because of the one time we had a libation and it was overly sugary, doesn't mean it's the same for all to come. There's good and there's bad. There's poison and there's potion. And yeah, sometimes we have to go through some turmoils to find the truth about what a spirit means to us–and does to us. What I've come to find throughout my time of revisiting and experimenting with rum is this: it's a magical potion that transforms you. So yes, I have matured by a hair from the Malibus and Bacardi's sugar blasts of the world, and I make sure that when I tap the bottle it dings back at me.

I know, I know, I did that thing again. You know, that thing I do when I make the backstory a little too long and a little off path of what this cocktail actually about and it's taste. I want to tell you it won't happen again, but if I want us to remain friends, I should resist from lying to you. There's already enough lying on this internet as it is. So anyway...

Without further ado, here is, "Coconut Treehouse Club!" A special cocktail made with Kola's coconut flavored rum that is–wait for it–pretty freakin' splendid. Because yes, there are flavored rums out there that are done right and don't pound in your head the next morning. That if you concoct correctly, you can make a well-balance libation that has the perfect embodiment of escapism and comfort. This drink is uplifting and tiki-esque with zings of lime and Falernum (that wonderful spice) but some soft coconut notes to bring it down. Feel VIP with this drink that's perfect for the sun and all things hot.

Let's concoct:

• 2 oz Kola Coconut Rum
• 1 oz Lime
• 0.75 voz Velvet Falernum
• 0.25 oz Agave

*Muddle lime. Combine remaining ingredients into a cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a lime (wheel, wedge or twist–whatever brings you joy)