I'm going coconuts trying to figure this out!

July 13, 2017 2:23 PM

What exactly is "crème de coco"?

I'm trying to make some "umbrella drinks" for this weekend but I'm stuck on the "creme de coco" as listed in this recipe.

Are they referring to general coconut cream (not milk, I know) or are they referring to a rum based liqueur? I tend to make pretty strong drinks on accident (I can't tell because I'm a light weight who doesn't drink much so everything default seems strong to me). I don't want to accidentally add in more alcohol than necessary, but if it's meant to be that way that's fine with me.

If they are referring to a rum based liqueur brand suggestions for middle of the road quality would be greatly appreciated! Good coconut cream brand suggestions are welcome too!

posted by raccoon409 to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Best answer: They're talking about coconut cream, like Coco Lopez.
posted by CheeseLouise at 2:26 PM on July 13, 2017 [7 favorites]

Cream of coconut/creme de coco is generally a sweetened, stabilized coconut cream. See this question previously on making it at home for more thoughts on the subject.
posted by j.edwards at 2:27 PM on July 13, 2017

This is a common ingredient in tiki drinks, like the one you're making or the classic painkiller. It's more or less sweetened coconut cream/coconut milk.

You can buy Coco Lopez, linked above, at many liquor stores, or make your own from store bought coconut milk—here is a recipe from the Smuggler's Cove cocktail book.
posted by daniel striped tiger at 2:33 PM on July 13, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yes, what everyone has said! They'll have it at the liquor store, just ask.
posted by LKWorking at 2:40 PM on July 13, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! NC has ABC stores and are often lacking in side prep items but I'll take a look at Harris Teeter which claims to carry it before heading over to the liquor store.
posted by raccoon409 at 2:51 PM on July 13, 2017

You can also find it in major grocery stores in the "Asian" aisle. Look for a can on a lower shelf usually in the Thai subsection. You want the full fat version. It often goes in Thai curries.

Pro tip: turn the can upside down and open from the bottom. It separates dramatically with a milky liquid and a waxy solid. I recommend spatulating both the solids and liquid into a food processor or into a a bowl and beat/pulse to get the proper creamy texture.

It's kind of expensive for what you get, but it's delicious, so I'm intrigued about the DIY version linked above.
posted by TomFoolery at 3:42 PM on July 13, 2017

Yeah, it's kinda hard to find. In a grocery store, it's usually over by the mixed drink section, where they keep the club soda and the margarita mix.
posted by raisingsand at 6:31 PM on July 13, 2017

Coco Lopez is the canonical cream of coconut. Goya has a cream of coconut in exactly the same size can, and in a pinch (if you can't find either of those) you can probably find Coco Real (in a squeeze bottle!) at Target. Our tiki bartender friends didn't like mixing with Coco Real when the distributor ran out of Coco Lopez, but it will do.
posted by fedward at 7:49 PM on July 13, 2017

Response by poster: Update: I couldn't find any Coco Lopez and didn't want to spend more time searching so I ended up with Goya coconut cream. We'll see how it goes and if it's awful I'll still be plenty happy with rum and pineapple juice.
posted by raccoon409 at 7:50 PM on July 13, 2017

Best answer: For your future reference, in Harris Teeter and other grocery stores in NC, the Coco Lopez is usually in a little section near the wine and beer that carries other liquor accompaniments like bitters, olives, maraschino cherries, margarita salt, and the like.
posted by Stewriffic at 7:05 AM on July 14, 2017 [3 favorites]