5 Piece dried ginger root, -bruised with spoon 5 tb Light-brown sugar 5 tb Cassia bark, broken in -small pieces 3 1/3 c Water 10 China teabags 3 1/3 Shredded coconut 6 1/4 c Boiling water 8 3/4 c Pineapple juice 3 1/3 c Light rum or gin Crushed ice Maraschino cherries Fresh pineapple chunks Fresh pineapple leaves (opt) Put ginger, sugar and cassia bark in a saucepan. Add 2/3 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add teabags. Let stand 5 minutes, then strain into a bowl. In a blender or food processor, blend coconut and boiling water 1 minute. Let stand 5 minutes, then strain into tea mixture, pressing coconut to extract all moisture. Add pineapple juice and chill 1 hour. Add run or gin and stir well. Serve over crushed ice in tall glasses. Thread cocktail sticks with cherries and pineapple. Add a cocktail stick and swizzle stick to each glass. Garnish with pineapple leaves, if desired. VARIATION: Add more rum or gin for a stronger flavored drink.
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