Coconut Coffee Coquito With Kōloa Rum

Tis the season for delicious cocktails! I’m always inspired by fellow culinary creatives this time of year and the various takes on traditional seasonal drinks. For my second cocktail challenge with Kōloa Rum, I was challenged to create an easy holiday cocktail using Kōloa Kauaʻi Coffee Rum. Inspired by the classic holiday beverage Coquito, which originated in Puerto Rico and has been called “coconut eggnog”, I got to work creating a delicious coffee rum cocktail. Today, I’m sharing all the details on how to make this Coconut Coffee Coquito with Kōloa Rum. 

Coconut Coffee Coquito With Kōloa Rum

Kōloa Coffee Rum is made using a blend of raw sugarcane and Kaua’i Coffee and distilled in a copper pot. The end result is a flavor-packed spirit with a strong espresso flavor. If you’ve ever tasted Hawaiian coffee (think hints of chocolate and vanilla), you will definitely enjoy this one. Admittedly, it tastes pretty good all by itself on the rocks! 

A traditional Coquito recipe incorporates sweetened condensed milk, as well as evaporated milk, but I’ve chosen to make mine completely dairy free using coconut-based alternatives. Don’t stress about having to go to a specialty store, I found them all in my normal grocer! Some Coquito recipes also call for egg yolks, which I have also omitted in this cocktail version. 

To make this Coconut Coffee Coquito at home, you will need:

2 oz Coco Lopez coconut cream 

1 oz sweetened condensed coconut milk

1 oz evaporated coconut milk

1 oz coconut milk

2 oz Kōloa Kauaʻi Coffee Rum

dash vanilla and nutmeg

nutmeg and cinnamon to garnish

1. In a shaker with ice, combine coconut cream, sweetened condensed coconut milk, evaporated coconut milk, and coconut milk.

2. Shake well.

3. Open shaker and pour in Kōloa Kauaʻi Coffee Rum with just a dash of vanilla and nutmeg.

4. Gently shake.

5. Pour in a coupe glass and garnish with nutmeg and cinnamon. 

I think one of the very best details about this particular recipe is that it can be made as an individual cocktail, like the above calls for, or made in a large batch and enjoyed over time. Just make sure you refrigerate everything!

If you decide to make this twist on Coquito this holiday, be sure to let me know what you think. If you decide to get crafty on your bar cart in other ways with Kōloa’s Coffee Rum, I’d love to see that, too 🙂 

Wanting more coffee rum recipes? Check out my Hawaiian BBC that also features Kōloa Kauaʻi Coffee Rum. More Kōloa Rum recipes? Don’t miss my Apple Hot Toddy!

Special thanks to Kōloa Rum for sponsoring this cocktail series and Elle Rose Photography for all imagery.