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Cocktail History
The Amaro Di Cocco is a modern tiki cocktail that was created by Ryan Lotz at Shore Leave in Boston, Massachusetts. It is described as a cross between two classics, the Piña Colada and the Negroni, because it uses a rum base and pairs it with bitter Campari, vermouth, coconut, and pineapple.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with molasses or sugarcane juice, spices, and alcohol that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. We used J. Wray & Nephew Gold Jamaican Rum because it’s high quality yet still affordable, full flavored while still being lighter than other rums, and lends exotic spice flavors to the finish of the drink. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the dark rum.
Campari: This is a liqueur made in Italy with gentian root, rhubarb, citrus, herbs, aromatic plants, fruit, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Giffard Non-Alcoholic Bitter Syrup in place of the bitter liqueur.
Sweet Vermouth: This is a fortified wine made with grapes, sugar, botanicals, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth because it’s a high quality vermouth with dark notes of herbs, figs, licorice, cinnamon, and cocoa. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Rosso in place of the sweet vermouth.
Black Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for the longest period of time of any rum. We used Gosling’s Black Seal 151 Proof Rum because it a has a rich rum flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum.
Coconut Cream: This is a thick cream made from coconut milk. We used Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut because it has a rich flavor and silky texture.
Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. We used fresh pineapple juice.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices. We used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple so the flesh can be cut. We used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. We used the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.
Tasting Notes
The Amaro Di Cocco features hints of vermouth, Campari, and pineapple aroma and has a deep, bittersweet flavor with the telltale vermouth and Campari notes along with rum funkiness, pineapple sweetness, and coconut milkiness; the aftertaste then goes down with the general feeling of a Negroni and some additional subtle rum and fruit flavor.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We were pretty split on this drink. Alex found it to be a really interesting and tasty conceptual, and although Kendall still finds Campari to be overwhelming to her palate, she did admit to the Amaro Di Cocco being pretty good. It just wasn’t her favorite thanks to the liqueur’s bitter flavor.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This drink was an unexpected delight, especially since I really hadn’t examined the ingredient list before I grabbed the bottles to make it. The book describes it as a tiki Negroni, which obviously makes perfect sense given the ingredients. The addition of pineapple likens it to a Jungle Bird, in my opinion, and the coconut makes it even more indescribably complex. Overall, I really enjoyed it; I found its flavor to be bitter and deep, meaning it would likely be palatable only to the initiated Campari and vermouth lovers, but since I am one of those, I thought it was a delectable sipper.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐
“Alex likened this drink to the Jungle Bird. To be honest, I don’t remember exactly what that one tastes like because I’m not big on Campari and haven’t tried that recipe since our tasting last year, but I think Alex’s assessment is right on from what I recall. I would say this one is a bridge to getting your palate used to the bitterness if you can’t quite drink a Jungle Bird yet. The bitterness is there but certainly not in the same way.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.
Add dark rum, Campari, sweet vermouth, black rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki or highball glass filled with fresh cracked ice.
Ingredients
Directions
Add dark rum, Campari, sweet vermouth, black rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki or highball glass filled with fresh cracked ice.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum, Giffard Non-Alcoholic Bitter Syrup in place of the bitter liqueur, and Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Rosso in place of the sweet vermouth to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Tiki Cocktails
If you like this tiki-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Junior Colada: A pineapple rum cocktail made with coconut liqueur, pineapple juice, lime juice, coconut soda, and pineapple fronds
Caribe Daiquiri: A rum cocktail made with pineapple juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and a lime slice
Wishful Thinking: A sloe gin and rhum agricole cocktail made with ginger syrup, lime juice, absinthe, Angostura aromatic bitters, and a mint sprig
Tia Mia: A mezcal and rum cocktail made with lime juice, orange curaçao, orgeat syrup, a lime wheel, a mint sprig, and an orchid blossom
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