Jack Frost Winter Cocktail
This winter cocktail tastes like a festive version of a piña colada! Blue Curacao and shredded coconut help give this tasty drink it’s blue, wintry flair.
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Table of Contents
About Jack Frost Winter Cocktail
If you’re longing for summer in the midst of winter, there’s one delicious way to cure those blues away:
Whip up a jack frost winter cocktail.
It’s like a festive version of a classic piña colada, only with a festive blue color and tasty shredded coconut along the rim.
Cream of coconut vs coconut milk
This recipe calls for cream of coconut, and it’s important to note that this is not the same thing as coconut milk or coconut cream. All three ingredients come from a similar base, but there are key differences in consistency and how they’re used.
Overall, coconut milk is liquid like cow’s milk, and is made from simmering one part shredded coconut and one part water. It’s very commonly used in Thai recipes.
Coconut cream is unsweetened and has a very thick consistency. Like coconut milk, it’s made from simmering shredded coconut and water, but the ratio has far less liquid, using four parts coconut to one part water.
Cream of coconut is also made with by simmering four parts shredded coconut and one part water, but it’s been sweetened and the consistency is more like syrup. Cream of coconut is common in mixed drinks and desserts.
Because of the significant differences in consistency and taste, I do not recommend trying to substitute coconut milk or coconut cream for cream of coconut. Make sure you’ve found true cream of coconut before making this recipe.
Where can I find cream of coconut?
If you’re having trouble locating cream of coconut at your local grocery store, check these areas first:
- Canned fruit and vegetable aisle.
- International foods. However, be careful not to confuse this with coconut milk or coconut cream – they are not the same and should not be substituted for each other.
- If neither of the above, check your local ABC or big box alcohol stores (BevMo, Total Wine, etc) as they may have it in their drink mixes section.
How to measure this drink
This cocktail is written like a standard drink recipe, meaning that instead of an exact measurement (ex: 1 cup) the recipe will read “1 part.”
This can sometimes be a little confusing, but I’ve found the best way to think of it like this: Recipes that measure in parts usually mean it’s written so that you can adjust the size of the drink to whatever you want and the measurements they give you (1 part, 1/2 part, etc) are so you can keep the ratio of the ingredients correct.
For example, let’s say you wanted to make one drink – this typically means you’re using 1 standard shot glass for measuring. So then when the recipe says “1 part” you would interpret that amount as “1 standard shot glass” full. If the recipe says “1/2 part” you’d fill the shot glass halfway so that it’s “1/2 standard shot glass.” OR, let’s say you wanted to make enough drinks for a few friends. When making the drink you could interpret “1 part” as “1 cup” (or “1/2 part” to “1/2 cup.”)
This way the drink will taste the same no matter what size you make it.
What were the old measurements of this recipe?
As time goes on, I may update recipes depending on experience, format, or reader feedback to help keep things consistent and clear. This winter cocktail was one of those recipes, which was updated in 2020 to keep the measurements uniform with other drinks on this site. But originally, there were exact measurements included in the instructions for making four drinks.
If you’d like to get right to it, below is the recipe as it was originally written.
To make 4 drinks, add these to a blender:
- 3 cup ice, for a thicker drink, use 4 cups
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup vodka or light rum
- 1/2 cup Blue Curacao
- 1/2 cup cream of coconut
Notes & tips for this jack frost drink
- One of the prettiest things about this cocktail is the shaved coconut along the rim – however, this can be tricky to set up. This is why I recommend coating the rim with light corn syrup, as it’s extra sticky and sticky and will hold the shredded coconut better. You can try using simple syrup, but I’ve found it to be too watery to hold the coconut.
- Like the glasses used in this photo? I bought them a few years ago from a local store, but this set of square champagne flutes is very similar.
- You’ll also need a trusty food processor for this recipe. I bought the Ninja Blender System almost 10 years ago and it hasn’t failed me yet!
More festive drinks
How to make a winter cocktail
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – If you’re decorating the glasses, add some light corn syrup to a plate. Dip a glass upside down to coat the rim. Add some shredded coconut to another plate, then dip the coated glass in the coconut, so the coconut sticks to the rim. Set the prepared glasses aside.
Step 2 – Add the ice, pineapple juice, vodka, blue curacao, and cream of coconut to your favorite blender, then pulse it until smooth.
Step 3 – Pour into the decorated glasses and enjoy!
Jack Frost Winter Cocktail
Ingredients
For Decorating Glasses
For the Winter Cocktail
- 12 part ice, for a thicker drink, use 4 cups
Instructions
- On a small plate, add shredded coconut. Wet the rim of a glass with simple syrup (can also use simple syrup, but it won’t hold the coconut as well) and gently dab the top the glass in the shredded coconut, coating the rim. See above video for example. Set glass aside.
- Add ice, pineapple juice, vodka, blue curacao, and cream of coconut to a food processor. Pulse until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour Jack Frost Winter Cocktail into prepared glasses.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
