Summer.
The heat. Endless fun. Going to parties and hosting some. Tons of good food, good company, and of course, great drinks.
I can’t think of anything that quite fits the summer vibe other than a refreshing, rejuvenating cocktail that satisfies your palate and ensures you have a joyful time. To top it off, make that a coconut cocktail, and you’ll be sure of a great time.
Why coconut, though?
Well, why not!
Coconuts are known to be a natural refreshing ingredient, suitable to at just as is, grilled, baked, fried, or even made into a smoothie-like paste. Coconuts carry themselves with a sweet, nutty flavor that isn’t so sickly sweet. Preferred by many, coconut water has less sugar than most sports drink with fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a standard sports drink.
This combination makes it ideal to be a refreshing energy booster, just before an intense workout session. When it’s summertime, it’s ready to be turned into a juicy or creamy cocktail!
Read on to find some easy-to-make recipes with minimal ingredients for you to take advantage of your cocktail-making skills.
Recipe #1: Bodega Negra
Ingredients: 1.5 oz. Milagro Tequila 1 oz. Coco Lopez .5 oz Lime Juice Tajin spice for rim
Combine all ingredients into a tin with ice and shake well. Cover half the rim in Tajin for an extra pizzaz of flavor. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with a lime wedge and edible flower.
Recipe #2: Creamy Coconut Margarita
Ingredients: Sweetened shredded coconut for the rim 2 ounces tequila Blanco ½ ounce triple sec (or Cointreau) ½ ounce fresh lime juice 1 ounce cream of coconut (not coconut cream) Ice, for serving (try clear ice)
This coconut cocktail is nourishing, zingy, and fresh, perfect for a blazing summer’s afternoon.
Here are the steps to making it:
- Toast the coconut lightly and set it aside on a plate.
- Add some extra cream of coconut (not coconut cream!) to a separate plate and dip the edge of the rim of the glass into it. Then follow with the toasted coconut, coating the rim of the glass with it.
- In a cocktail shaker, add the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, cream of coconut, and one handful of ice. Shake until cold, strain the mixture into the glass with the coconut rim.
- Fill the margarita glass with ice and it’s ready to be served!
- For a pitcher: add 2 cups tequila, ½ cup triple sec, ½ cup lime juice, and 1 cup cream of coconut to a pitcher. Add 3 handfuls of ice and stir.
Why cream of coconut instead of coconut cream?
- Cream of coconut is made with coconut cream and sugar and is the sweetened syrup used for cocktails. It’s commonly found online as well as at your local liquor stores, but here’s a tip: look for the squeeze bottle, instead of the can.
- Coconut cream is unsweetened! It’s thick with a strong coconut flavor and sold in cans next to the coconut milk.
Recipe #3: The Bahama Mama Coconut Cocktail
Now, this is one of those experimental recipes that seems unlikely to work, but when it does – it becomes a masterpiece.
The Bahama Mama cocktail is a fruity rum drink that takes only 3 minutes to prepare! Made with the delicious notes of two types of rum, a good dose of pineapple, and some variations include coffee with a common denominator – coconut juice. This well-known cocktail has been remade countless times with different ingredients mix, but I stand by this recipe on thesprcueeats.com.
Created in the late 1950s or 60s, this recipe has no one to tribute to, but one general truth is that it was created in the Bahamas. That said, here are the ingredients:
½-ounce dark rum ¼-ounce 151-proof rum ½-ounce coconut liqueur ¼-ounce coffee liqueur 4-ounces pineapple juice ½-ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice (the fresher, the better!) Strawberry, or cherry, for garnish (you can even use watermelon for a tropical taste)
Here are the steps to making it:
- In a cocktail shaker, add in the rums, coconut and coffee liqueurs, and pineapple, and lemon juices. Fill the shaker with ice. Shake well.
- Strain into a cocktail glass filled with cracked ice.
- Add your favorite garnish choice, and it’s ready to be enjoyed!
If you’d like to avoid the coconut liqueur which can sometimes be too sickly sweet, you can opt for a coconut-flavored rum which pretty much does the trick.
One thing to note is that the Bahama Mama can be tailored to your strength of drinking spirits. It can be difficult to know the precise strength of this drink as variations can differ in the calculations. For most, this is like a glass of wine, and it can be too easy to drink one too many in a summer’s afternoon.
Do remember that sun and heat exacerbate drunkenness, so be sure to stock up on lots of water and liquids to beat the blazing sun! These amazing mouth-watering coconut cocktails are a perfect fit for a lovely summer’s day.