Balancing Coconut Flavours In Spirits: How To Combine The Tropical Fruit With Liquors
Coconut, a tropical fruit with sweet and creamy notes is widely used in mixology, particularly during summers. A very versatile fruit, coconut can be employed in different ways for making cocktails. Desiccated coconut can be used as a garnish for rimming glasses and tender coconut water can be added to cocktails as a light mixer. As well, smoked coconut husk can be used to introduce its deep aroma into coconut-forward tropical mixes and coconut shavings can be muddled into different fruity blends for their creamy touch.
Evidently, coconut has a lot to do in mixology which means it is essential to use it in such a way that its flavours blend into a cocktail without overpowering the overall mixture. Along with ingredients like citruses or sugared garnishes, the taste of coconuts has to be balanced with the spirit added to a cocktail. This can be done in various ways so that multiple liquors can be combined with different forms of the coconut to curate well-balanced drinks.
Read on below for some handy hacks to combine coconut’s flavours with various liquors to lend cocktail blends a balanced flavour of the tropical fruit:
Rum And Toasted Coconut
One of the ways in which the flavours of the tropical fruit can be combined with dark rum is by toasting coconuts. To craft a tropical rum punch using 30 ml Captain Morgan Dark Rum or any other premium rum of choice, add a tablespoon of toasted coconut in the mix so its earthy flavours blend with the tart and deep taste of the liquor. Rum’s caramel-like quality goes well with the toasty and slightly burnt flavour of coconut shavings to give cocktails a creamy yet smoky and tart flavour.
Coconut Infused Vodka
Vodka is a clear spirit excellent for crafting imaginative infusions. It is only evident then that one way to introduce the flavours of coconut into vodka-based cocktails is in the form of a coconut infused vodka. Such a liquor will enable the tropical fruit’s taste to seep subtly into cocktails like a coconut vodka smash without making the drink too creamy. Infuse 30 ml of Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka or any other premium vodka of choice with coconut syrup or coconut water to build its flavours steadily into the cocktail blend.
Coconut Water And Gin
A good quality gin with herbaceous notes unexpectedly blends well with the sweet, creamy taste of coconut cream or coconut water. Use 30 ml quality gin like Tanqueray No. 10 or any other premium gin of choice to craft cocktails that combine the flavours of these two ingredients in a mix of citrusy gin and coconut flavours. Infuse this cocktail with spices like cardamom or coriander to enhance the depth in the blend.
Coconut Cream And Tequila
An interesting combination for crafting drinks like a coconut infused margarita cocktail, coconut cream and tequila come together in a fine mix of fruity, earthy and nutty flavours. The velvety sweetness of coconut cream undercuts some of the peppery and tart notes in the tequila to create a well-balanced drink complete with different flavourful layers. A cocktail containing coconut cream and 30 ml Don Julio Blanco Tequila or any other tequila of choice can be finished off with citruses like grapefruit for a sour touch.
Whisky Fat Wash With Coconut
One way to incorporate coconut’s flavours into a spirit like 30 ml Johnny Walker Black Label or any other premium whisky of choice is to give it a fat wash with coconut oil. The caramel-like, spicy and smoky notes in an aged whisky pair well with coconut’s oily and creamy profile without letting the taste of the fruit overpower the cocktail. For the fat wash, warm coconut oil and mix it in whisky before storing for a few hours. Once the oil solidifies, strain the clear spirit which will be infused with robust coconut flavours.
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