Skip to main content

The 9 Best Coconut Cocktails That Bring Instant Tropicality to Your Tastebuds

Junoon Coconut Cocktail, coconut cocktails
Junoon Coconut Cocktail in a wine glass.

Nothing beats coconut when it comes to bringing instant freshness and tropicality. It can send a deftly made cocktail on a warm jetstream headed somewhere breezy and much closer to the equator. Even the fruit’s lifestyle is enviable, shaded by palm fronds in a warm locale, often close to a beach. The most intrepid drinkers source them whole, draining the fresh juice or using the spherical nut as a vessel.

Related Videos

What sets coconut apart from many ingredients is its many forms and how they all do so well in a cocktail. Simple coconut water is a great option. Using coconut-flavored sodas, liqueurs, and spirits or even making your own house coconut cream for mixing is fine as well. Even better, you can integrate your own spirits and create refreshing twists on classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned.

In terms of cocktails, check out nine fantastic coconut-driven recipes below along with a quick tutorial from Death & Co. on infusing scotch. We’ve got everything from a Puerto Rican classic (Coquito) to a Blue Hawaiian. Go nuts!

Related Guides

Piña Colada

Two coconut drinks by the pool.

(Created by Death & Co.)

Ingredients:

  • 3 dashes Kalani Ron de Coco coconut liqueur
  • 1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
  • .5 oz El Dorado 151 Rum
  • .5 oz El Dorado 3-Year Rum
  • 1 oz pineapple juice
  • .5 oz lime juice
  • .75 oz Coco Lopez
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Method:

  1. Short shake all ingredients with 3 ice cubes.
  2. Strain into a coconut mug filled with crushed ice.
  3. Garnish with a mint bouquet.
  4. Serve with a straw.

A Passion for Tequila

A Passion for Tequila Cocktail in glasses and a bottle of Don Julio by the side.

(Created by Yolanda Baez, NYC)

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco
  • 1 oz fresh passionfruit juice
  • .75 oz fresh lime juice
  • .75 oz agave nectar
  • coconut water to top

Method:

  1. Combine tequila, fresh lime juice, fresh passionfruit juice, and agave nectar into a cocktail shaker over ice.
  2. Shake well and strain contents into a Collins glass over fresh ice and top with coconut water.
  3. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.

Cilantrita

Leafy Greens cocktail in a glass garnished with cilantro.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz 1800 Coconut
  • 1 oz lemon
  • .75 oz ginger syrup (or 2 slices of ginger muddled in simple syrup)
  • Small handful of cilantro

Method:

  1. Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Strain into a glass.
  3. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

Coco Horchata Colada

Coco Horchata Colada Cocktail surrounded by limes, a pineapple, and a coconut.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz DeLeón Reposado Tequila
  • 1 oz coconut cream
  • 2 oz horchata
  • .5 oz fresh lime juice
  • .5 oz pineapple syrup
  • 3 dashes Mexican molé bitters

Method:

  1. Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
  2. Strain into an ice-filled margarita glass.
  3. Garnish with pineapple slices and leaves, cinnamon sticks, and dried lime.

Coquito

Four Coquito Cocktails in plastic cups.
Discover Puerto Rico

Ingredients:

  • .5 cup white rum (preferably Don Q or Bacardí)
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1 can cream of coconut (Coco López suggested)  
  • .5 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (add more to taste)

Method:

  1. In a blender, add evaporated milk, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, rum, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
  2. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is well combined.
  3. Transfer mixture into glass bottle and chill in the refrigerator until cold.
  4. To serve, pour coquito into small serving glasses (almost like a shot portion)
  5. Garnish with ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick.

Blue Hawaiian

Blue Hawaiians garnished with a cherry and a slice of pineapple on top.
Bhofack2/Getty Images

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz white rum
  • .5 oz of Blue Curacao
  • 3 oz of pineapple juice
  • 1 oz of 7up or Sprite
  • Chunk of pineapple for garnish
  • .5 cup ice

Method:

  1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
  2. Add your rum to the glass.
  3. Add the pineapple and 7up to fill the glass.
  4. Measure out .5 oz of Blue Curacao and float the blue liqueur on top.
  5. Garnish with the pineapple chunk.

Brancolada

Brancolada Cocktail in a glass.

(Created by Jeremy Oertel, Donna, NYC)

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Appleton V/X Rum
  • 1 oz Branca Menta
  • 1.5 oz pineapple juice
  • .25 oz fresh orange juice
  • .75 oz coconut cream*

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes.
  2. Shake until chilled and strain over crushed ice in a glass.
  3. Garnish with mint sprig and orange wedge.

With Coconut Cream

  1. Combine 3 parts Coco Lopez with 1 part coconut milk.

Yolanda

Vesper Cocktail served in a martini glass.
Cocktailmarler/Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz blanc vermouth
  • .75 oz coconut gin (preferably Bimini)
  • .75 oz pisco
  • 1 barspoon rose and apple infused Pineaus de Charentes
  • 1 drop absinthe

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients, including ice, in a mixing glass and stir until chilled.
  2. Strain into a chilled glass.
  3. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Citrus and Coconut

Pear Brandy Collins in a glass.

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 oz coconut vodka
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 4 oz coconut water

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients except coconut water in a shaker and shake well.
  2. Pour into Collins glass and top with coconut water.
  3. Garnish with lemon or lime slices.
The 7 best CBD-infused drinks we tried in 2023
These tasty CBD-infused drinks will have you feeling calmer in no time
Cans o RisEau cbd drinks.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, has been hot for a while now, making its way into everything from CBD teas to a variety of CBD coffee brands. If you're wondering "what is CBD?" — it's a naturally occurring compound present in cannabis plants. According to the World Health Organization, it's not addictive, has a solid safety profile, and won't get you high. In clinical trials, it's been effective in the treatment of epilepsy and shows promise in treating a number of other conditions.

In addition to CBD-infused water, tea, soda, and seltzer, another growing trend is CBD-infused nonalcoholic spirits and cocktails. The adult beverage market is flooded with CBD products promising to help you relax, sleep, destress, and mellow out, all without the hangover you'd get from booze (CBD is considered a controlled substance and can't be legally added to booze, at least not yet). We've rounded up a few of our favorite CBD-infused drinks below, from CBD cocktails to CBD water, so you can work your relaxation into your daily routine no matter where you are.

Read more
This is the major change coming to Toblerone chocolate
Stripped of its "Swissness," Toblerone is getting a new look
toblerone chocolates new packaging

Toblerone, the nougaty, triangular chocolate bar we all know and love, will be getting a modern makeover later this year. US owner of the popular candy bar company, Mondelez International, has decided to relocate some of Toblerone's production a few countries over to Slovakia, stripping the chocolate of its "Swissness."
Under Swiss law, established in 2017, a product that's advertised with marks such as the Swiss flag, any references to Swiss cities, or, in the case of Toblerone, the Matterhorn mountain, must meet very strict origin criteria. The Swiss powers that be established this law to protect the prestige and reputation of genuine, high-quality Swiss-made products, including, of course, its chocolate.

While much of Toblerone's production will remain in Switzerland — even amping up by the end of the year — the strict laws dictate that it can't be considered a Swiss product anymore unless manufactured there exclusively.
Because the candy will now be partially produced elsewhere, it will no longer be allowed to advertise with any "Swissness," including the iconic Matterhorn logo. The label will also shift from reading “Swiss chocolate” to “Established in Switzerland in 1908” instead.
Reportedly, the hidden bear in the current mountainscape design will remain, but no word yet as to how prevalent it will be.
In a statement reported by CNBC, Mondelez International says that the Toblerone new logo will have a “modernized and streamlined mountain logo that is consistent with the geometric and triangular aesthetic.”
We think we speak for most when we say we couldn't care less what the box looks like. Just make sure it tastes the same.

Read more
The 8 best protein shakes that are ready-to-go
These shakes come with all the good stuff, and none of the crap
Svelte

With as busy as we have become as a society, we always seem to be on the go. This can make life challenging, especially when it comes to wellness goals. In a perfect world, you could hit the gym hard, crush a workout, then immediately refuel with a balanced, home-cooked meal. But, since life happens and we are always on the go, it’s not always feasible to take the time to actually cook up a muscle-building meal right after your workout. Whether you’re on the go and short on time, or just can't stomach a full meal after exercising, having a quick and easy, protein-packed option that doesn’t require kitchen time, is a helpful alternative to refuel your body and maximize your results.

This is where protein shakes come in handy. Numerous ready-to-drink shakes are available that provide muscle-building protein, vitamins, minerals, and calories to fortify your body after a workout. They offer the benefits of protein powders with the convenience of eliminating the need for a shaker bottle, or high-speed blender, let alone making a mess with powders. Simply give the bottle a quick shake, pop the top, and you’re good to go.

Read more