DIY Coconut Rum...
An easy guide to making it at home
Why? That’s the question. Why would you bother to make your own coconut infused rum when you can buy it? The answer is really really simple.
- It’s far tastier than most of the over-sweetened suntan lotions that are out there.
- You’re in control of what ingredients are actually used – no artificial flavours and High Fructose Corn Syrup for me sir!
- It’s cheaper. You really don’t need to use a high-end rum.
- You get to make it as strong as you want. Say goodbye to that lilly-livered 21% ABV Malibu style liqueur!
- And it’s super easy.
We see that our highly logical and booze influenced argument has won you over – so let’s crack open that coconut and start with the recipe!
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Coconut Infused Rum
Follow our step-by-step guide to make this sublime rum infused with authentic, coconut flavour. With only 3 ingredients this is a great introduction to making your own syrups and infusions at home.
Ingredients
- 1 part Coconut Shavings (we used 1 coconut) - use a mature/brown coconut not a young/green one
- 1 part White Rum (we used a 750ml / 24oz bottle)
- ½ part Simple Syrup (we used 375ml / 12oz) - 1:1 ratio, cold preparation - see the recipe below
Method
- Drain the water. Locate the three indents or ‘eyes’ on the end of the coconut. Hold it firmly in one hand with the indents facing upwards and use a drill to make a hole through two of them.
Or, if you only have a hammer to hand, bang a nail into one of the eyes until it goes about halfway in, wiggle it around until you’ve widened the hole a bit, then do the same with the other eye (one or two of them are always softer than the third, so best to find these if possible).Tip the coconut over and allow the water to drain into your jug. And if you want to drink the water, make sure you clean your tools first!
- Break the coconut open. Hold it in one hand and tap firmly but not over forcefully, just above the center of the coconut’s equator. Rotate it slightly and smack it again. Keep doing this until you’re back to where you started. At some point, a hairline crack should start to form. Keep rotating and hitting it until you’re at a point where you can prise it apart with your hands (or a screwdriver).To make this slightly easier, you can always pop the coconut in the oven on a mid heat for around 15 mins. This’ll make the shell more brittle and will also help you remove the flesh in the next stage.Just be super careful when removing it from the oven as it will be very hot. Always use oven gloves.Note: If you want to make something with the shell - such as our awesome Coconut Drinking Cups or Coconut Tiki Lanterns - then you’ll want to take a look at our articles on how to open these bad boys in a more 'civilised' manner.
- Remove the white flesh. If you put the coconut in the oven in the previous step, then the flesh should be starting to lift off of the shell. If you didn’t, then you could always ping it in the microwave for about a minute. Again, be really careful when you remove it as it will be steaming hot.Use a knife or spoon to dig behind each piece and pry it out chunk by chunk. Preferably keeping the pieces as large as possible.Now remove the brown skin from the white flesh with a vegetable peeler. There’s nothing wrong with including it but it'll turn your infusion a browny colour.Wash all the pieces, ensuring all the dust from the drilling has been removed.
- Grate the coconut. Use whatever size grater you have to hand - though a food processor will make it much easier. Add the shavings to a sterilised mason jar (a turn in the dishwasher will do a good job of this), pour in your rum, seal it and shake it like a polaroid picture.
- Keep the jar sealed for 2 weeks. Store it in a cool, dry place and make sure you give it a shake every day. Don’t worry if you go over this time - after about 2-3 weeks it won’t take on any more flavour but it won't hurt it either.
- Decant your infusion. Give it a shake, then use a cheesecloth or muslin to strain the liquid into a jug. Make sure to give it a good squeeze at the end to get every last drop out.Now, at this point you have a choice - how clear do you want to make it? We nearly always leave it a nice milky colour, but if you’re shooting for clarity you can clean it up a bit using a coffee filter to re-strain it. However, you’re never going to get it as clear as shop bought rum, due to the sophistication level of their production process.Then, place a funnel into your final (sterilised) container (we used the old rum bottle) and pour in your infusion.
- Add the simple syrup. To make the simple syrup, add 1 part sugar (preferably super-fine) and 1 part cold (or slightly tepid) water to a large jar (use the one you stored your coconut infusion in).Seal the lid and shake until the sugar is completely dissolved. If you're struggling to get it to liquefy, add it to a pan and put it on a very low heat, stirring every few minutes until the liquid is clear.Measure out the amount you need and using a funnel, pour it into your container along with the rum infusion. Give it a final shake to combine and you’re done!
Notes
In the batch we made for this article we used a 750ml bottle of white rum, plus 375ml of simple syrup - meaning we had a total volume of 1.125 ltrs. So depending on how much you make, just bear in mind you may need two bottles (like us) to store it in!
If you sterilized your equipment and you continue to keep your coconut rum in a cool, dry place, it should easily last 6 months.
Substitutes
A simple hack - if you don’t want to bother with all the cracking open a coconut business and you have an Asian grocery store nearby, take a look and see if they have any bags of ground coconut (often frozen). Dehydrated dried coconut chunks will also work (re-hydrated obviously). As will bakers coconut.Variations
Our recipe follows a 1:½:1 ratio (coconut, simple syrup, rum) but if you want to make it sweeter just tweak the ratio.
And if you want to remove the simple syrup then go for it - that way you have a great tasting rum that’s low calorie and cocktail ready.
Don’t get hung up on the exact amounts, you’re shooting for a ballpark. It’s very easy to adjust up/down by adding more or less rum/simple syrup, once the infusion has taken place. Just remember, the more rum you add at the end, the more you dilute the coconut flavour.
If you want to experiment with the flavour, try adding vanilla as it helps accentuate the coconut. Or give something like lemongrass or ginger a try. Just make sure to add them a day or two from the end of the process as otherwise they’ll macerate for too long and overpower the coconut taste.
Or alternatively, add a drop or two of vanilla essence to the final mix. Some of the more complicated notes from natural vanilla can actually conflict with the subtle taste of the coconut. It may be artificial, but it’s literally only lab made vanillin and vanillin acid.
Experiment with the rum, but don’t go too high end - you’re not looking for a really excessive flavour from it - it should be nearly all about the coconut (just don't buy the cheapest rubbing alcohol either!). However, you could always switch it up a gear, with an aged rum like Appleton Estate and then for the final lift, toast your coconut flakes before combining. 🥥🌴
A few good drinks to use it in
Let’s be honest, it’s going to make a great sipper, but it would also work really well in some of the more subtle tiki creations. Just stay away from anything too complex as it’ll easily become overwhelmed. To get the ball rolling we recommend:
- Caribbean Coco
- Lei Lani Volcano
- Miehana
We put a whole lotta love, lime and rum into our work, so if you think your friends would find this article useful, we’d be thrilled if you could share it with them!
Thank you. Mahalo.
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