Use the back of a meat cleaver or large chefs knife and repeatedly whack the equator looking line of the coconut while turning it. Make sure you use the back of the knife, not the blade. Do this over a bowl to catch the water.
Reserve the coconut water. If you are not careful, you will splash it everywhere.
Use a paring knife to carefully go around the inside of the coconut to release the flesh.
Use a potato peeler to peel the brown skin off the coconut.
Roughly chop the flesh of the coconut and transfer to a food processor. Add water and sugar. Puree until nearly smooth.
Strain through a fine mesh into a bowl. Squeeze the water from the pulp over the mesh sieve. Place the pulp on paper towels and pat dry. Use a piece of cheesecloth in the sieve if the strained milk is cloudy.
Variations; Simple syrup, cane sugar, shredded coconut with hot water puree
