What do I do with this stuff, mixed drink edition

May 15, 2018 6:29 PM

I make painkillers which is appx 2 parts rum to 1 parts coconut cream to 5 parts fresh fruit juice. Coconut cream solidifies just below room temp. So how do i store a large make-ahead batch? Refrigerate seems out since the fat will solidify. Is this mix counter safe?

I'm willing to share the recipe if you all promise to keep it secret.

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

What happens to the coconut cream when you bring the refrigerated drink back up to room temperature? Can you simply stir it back in?
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:36 PM on May 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

ok first of all that sounds delicious.

second: how is it generally served? Room temp? If you want it cold, you could whiz it in the blender with or without ice for serving?

what juice do you use? this sounds tasty as hell
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:44 PM on May 15, 2018

Yeah take a quart or gallon out of the fridge a few hours ahead of time and stir or shake vigorously and you should be fine.

I would happily keep that mix on my counter for several days but not several weeks. Actually I would readily try over 10 days but only because I would be willing to toss some as a learning experience and by AskMe lore I should have died a thousand times already by now for eating yesterday’s rice, etc.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:48 PM on May 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: At air conditioner room temperature 76/77 it (coconut cream) kinda has chunkies in it. I keep it in a mason jar and either run under hot water or set on very edge of hot stove for a minute or two. I shudder to think about fridge... it's served over ice (and garnished with fresh grated nutmeg). So is it food safe to counter store it?
posted by chasles at 6:51 PM on May 15, 2018

I think the juice would be the weak link here - it would be the likeliest to start going off first, out of refrigeration. So how about if you keep the correctly proportioned mix of rum and coconut cream on the counter, and add the (from the fridge) juice as you make each serving?
posted by rtha at 6:55 PM on May 15, 2018 [7 favorites]

How long do you need it to keep? I personally would feel totally comfortable drinking something like that after a few hours on the kitchen counter. I wouldn’t want to drink it after sitting out for a full day, though.
posted by insectosaurus at 7:21 PM on May 15, 2018

I'm not sure if you're using regular cooking-style coconut cream or a cocktail base like Coco Lopez or Coco Real -- both of those have more added sugar, which can make for a stickier drink, but they also get less chunky because they have stabilisers in. You might try those as alternatives?

If you batch it, definitely keep it in the fridge. It gets a little chunky, but it'll get a weird texture otherwise, and taste a bit off. An immersion blender is a great way to prep the whole pitcher at once; otherwise just pour each serving into a cocktail shaker and give it a quick shake with ice before pouring. Don't forget the grated nutmeg on top!

(these also make amazing slushies, btw; for my money they're at their best as frozen drinks.)
posted by halation at 7:25 PM on May 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

fingersandtoes, the juice is a mix of pineapple and orange. here's the classic recipe! (And seriously: nutmeg. it's impordant.)
posted by halation at 7:32 PM on May 15, 2018 [5 favorites]

Best answer: For a few hours it would be ok, but then the juice may start to ferment. I'd make up the juice and rum, refrigerate that, and then add the coconut cream just before serving.
posted by kjs4 at 7:43 PM on May 15, 2018 [11 favorites]

Response by poster: Ugh kjs4! So simple. Why didn't i think of that? That's perfect. As for that recipe that's pretty much it. It's so good. It IS coco lopez by the way and that stuff always gets chunky or goopy even at room temp. Thanks!


for the record the problem went away this time (i drank most of it and poured one for mrs.chasles)
posted by chasles at 7:50 PM on May 15, 2018 [5 favorites]