For this month’s MxMo the blog World of Drinks brings us the theme of Preserves. For us coconut month rolls on and this week we make one of my favorite coconut cocktail additives. It’s not the most standout or bold application, but it provides a funky flavor that simple syrup just can’t. With a sharp peeler and a little elbow grease you to can make this syrup as well and keep that fresh coconut flavor close by.

The last time we made coconut syrup we unleashed The Phantom of the Luau. One of my favorite cocktails on the site. It’s a subtle syrup that does more to provide funky background notes than it does to provide dominant bold coconut flavors. It takes a little more time to make but a sharp peeler makes peeling the skin of the coconut pieces quicker work. Aside from that the process is very similar to other spiced and infused syrups I make.

Fresh Coconut Syrup
The peeled meat of one fresh Brown Coconut.
1 cup white sugar
1 cup coconut water

While stirring often bring the combined mixture to a quick boil then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the heat and let sit for 4 hours before straining and bottling.

 
For the drink I wanted to make something rummy that would play abit more to the coconut aspect. The combination of the Cognac for fullness and coconut syrup for sweetness was magic last time so I kept the band together. Pineapple and coconut also needed to make an appearance together this month with some spice and lime to keep their relationship professional.

Whiro’s Whim
1 ½ oz El Dorado 8 year
½ oz Camus VS Cognac
½ oz fresh pineapple juice
¾ oz fresh coconut syrup
¾ oz fresh lime juice
1 hearty dash of Bittermen’s Elemakule Bitters

Shake ingredients hard with plenty of ice and pout into a tulip glass. Garnish with purple flowers and a straw.

 
A lively aroma of molasses, the faintest wisps of smoke, met by ginger, and a husky nuttiness. The cognac and rum play well together with a nice full bodied burnt sugar sweetness. Flavors of pineapple, candy, and nuanced coconut come to the forefront but diminish near the middle of the sip. Refreshing lime and spice take over to restrain the pineapple-coconut medley and bring the drink to a nuanced, balanced end. The coconut syrup is light in character, never becoming the star flavor, but it brings a curious background flavor that is irreplaceably lost when switched with simple syrup.

Join us next week as we hack apart a coconut to finish off the month with a tasty cocktail in a one of a kind mug. Hopefully I’ll maintain all my fingers when addressing you all next time. Till then…

“You get Hammered America” – JFL