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What to mix with Malibu rum? These Malibu drinks are the best ways to use coconut rum! The mixed drinks bring tropical flavor to any occasion, from simple 2 ingredient drinks to layered cocktails.
What to mix with Malibu Coconut Rum? There are so many ways to make Malibu rum mixed drinks, from classic beach drinks to simple 2-ingredient cocktails.
What I love about Malibu is how it can make simple ingredients into something special. You can add pineapple juice to make a Malibu Sunrise, or blend it into a frosty Bahama Mama. Or swap it for rum to make a coconut spin on the Rum and Coke or Mojito. I’ve spent years experimenting with Malibu in cocktails, and these are the drinks I’ve found consistently impress everyone!
Top Malibu Coconut Rum Drinks
Here’s a brilliant Malibu drink that’s visually stunning with a deliciously tropical flavor: the Malibu Sunset! This layered cocktail is a simple mix of coconut rum, pineapple juice, and orange juice. Add grenadine and it layers into the gradient of the colors of a sunset!
Ingredients: Malibu Coconut Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine
Looking for an easy coconut rum cocktail? Try the Malibu Bay Breeze! This sweet tart tropical drink looks stunning in the glass with layers of coconut rum, pineapple and cranberry juice. This fruity spin on the classic Bay Breeze swaps in coconut rum instead of vodka.
Ingredients: Malibu Coconut Rum, pineapple juice, cranberry juice
One of the easiest things to do with Malibu coconut rum is mix it with pineapple juice! Honestly, you don’t need any extra ingredients: this makes one deliciously fun 2 ingredient tropical drink! The sweet tart pineapple pairs delightfully with the fruity coconut.
Ingredients: Malibu Coconut Rum, pineapple juice
Need a Malibu drink that’s refreshing, frosty, and all about tropical flavor? Try the Bahama Mama! This beachy drink is all about carefree vibes, featuring not one but two types of rum with pineapple juice and lime. Drink it straight on the rocks, or our favorite way: blended into an icy slush.
Ingredients: Dark rum, Malibu Coconut Rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine, ice
Here's a quick and easy way to make a Malibu drink: Malibu and Coke! The Rum and Coke, aka Cuba Libre, is a Cuban cocktail that’s made all over the world. Make it using coconut rum and it's a deliciously fruity spin on the classic.
Ingredients: Malibu Coconut Rum, cola, lime
Another great Malibu drink: swap Malibu Coconut Rum for rum in the Classic Mojito! This iconic Cuban drink is not too sweet, bubbly, and minty fresh. Swap the rum for Malibu (and decrease the simple syrup a bit for a tangier spin).
Ingredients: Malibu Coconut Rum, fresh mint, simple syrup, lime juice
What to mix with Malibu? Try Malibu and Lemonade! It makes a deliciously refreshing cocktail you can make in just 2 minutes. The citrusy lemonade is the perfect contrast to the fruity rum.
Ingredients: Malibu Coconut Rum, lemonade (homemade or purchased)
Want a tasty, refreshing Malibu cocktail that takes 1 minute to mix together? Try Malibu and Ginger Ale! It’s similar to the classic Dark and Stormy, but the ginger flavor is subtler and melts right into the coconut rum. Add a squeeze of lime and it’s an easy and refreshing highball.
Ingredients: Malibu Coconut Rum, ginger ale, lime
What to mix with Malibu? Try cranberry juice! It’s beautifully tart, balanced with simple syrup and tangy lime. This easy cocktail takes just a few minutes to whip up: it’s tastes like a rum spin on a Cosmo.
Last up in the best Malibu drinks? The Malibu Tonic! It's bubbly and fruity, with just the right lightly sweet finish from the rum. Like any good highball cocktail, it’s simple to mix up in the glass. In just one minute, you’ve got a refreshing coconut rum cocktail!
More About Malibu Coconut Rum
Did you know Malibu Coconut Rum actually isn’t considered rum? Here are a few things to know about this type of liquor:
- Malibu Coconut Rum is a coconut-flavored liqueur, not rum. It’s actually “Caribbean rum with coconut liqueur,” to quote the bottle. Malibu has added sugar and a low alcohol level: it’s only 21% ABV. In contrast, true rum has no sugar and a 40% ABV.
- Malibu Coconut Rum was launched in 1982 as a way for bartenders to simplify making the Piña Colada. It’s the most popular brand on the market, but you can find other types of coconut rum like Bacardi, Capitan Morgan, and so forth.
How to Batch Malibu Drinks for a Crowd
I’ve hosted enough parties to know that making individual cocktails one at a time is exhausting. Here’s my system for batching Malibu drinks:
- Try simple combinations like Malibu and Pineapple or Malibu and Lemonade: Use a ratio of 1 part Malibu to 2 to 3 parts mixer. A standard bottle (750ml) of Malibu will serve about 10 people when mixed this way. Mix everything except ice in a large dispenser, and let guests serve themselves over ice.
- Make ice cubes from pineapple juice or coconut water so your batch drinks don’t get as watered down as the ice melts. This keeps the tropical flavors strong from the first glass to the last.
- Prep the garnishes in advance. Lime wedges, orange slices, cherries, or even just a paper umbrella makes these drinks feel more special.
Pairing Malibu Cocktails with Food
The tropical, slightly sweet flavor of Malibu cocktails pairs especially well with grilled or spicy dishes: the coconut sweetness helps cool the heat. They’re perfect with Thai food, jerk chicken, or spicy shrimp tacos.
For parties, I like pairing these drinks with lighter appetizers. Grilled shrimp, tropical fruit skewers, coconut shrimp, and fresh spring rolls all complement the coconut-fruit flavors. They also work surprisingly well with salty snacks like chips and pineapple salsa or spiced nuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pineapple juice is my personal favorite: it enhances the tropical flavor perfectly. But lemonade, cranberry juice, and even ginger ale all work beautifully. For the simplest drink, you really can’t go wrong with pineapple juice.
I typically use 2 ounces (about ¼ cup) of Malibu per drink. This gives you a nice coconut flavor without being overwhelming. For a stronger drink, you can increase to 2.5 or 3 ounces, though remember Malibu is lower in alcohol content than regular rum.
In most cases, yes! Mix the rum and non-carbonated mixers ahead of time and refrigerate. Add ice and any carbonated ingredients like ginger ale or tonic water right before serving to keep them fresh and fizzy.
But don’t make the Malibu Sunset ahead of time: it needs to be mixed right before serving to keep the layers.
Malibu is sweeter, lower in alcohol (21% ABV vs 40% ABV for regular rum), and has coconut flavor added. It’s technically a liqueur rather than a true rum.
Malibu rum itself is gluten-free and vegan. The drinks remain so as long as you use vegan-friendly mixers and avoid any cream-based additions. Stick to fruit juices, soda, and tonic water to keep them plant-based.
Top 10 Malibu Drinks
The Malibu Sunset is a deliciously tropical layered drink with brilliant colors of a sunset! It’s easy to make and the effect is stunning.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Malibu Coconut Rum
- 2 ounces pineapple juice
- 2 ounces orange juice
- ½ ounce grenadine
- Ice, for serving (try clear ice)
- For the garnish: drink umbrella, orange slice, and cocktail cherry
Instructions
- Add ice to highball or hurricane glass. Add the coconut rum, then slowly pour orange juice followed by the pineapple juice.
- Pour the grenadine into center of the drink and it will sink to the bottom. Stir gently for the sunset gradient effect. Garnish with a drink umbrella, orange slice and a cocktail cherry.
Notes
To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
More cocktail recipes
There are so many cocktails to try outside of these beach drinks! Here are 300+ cocktail recipes for every occasion:
- Classics: Try Classic Cocktails or Great Cocktail Recipes.
- Easy: These Easy Mixed Drinks and Cheap Drinks have just 2 to 3 ingredients.
- Fancy: Opt for the best in Craft Cocktails.
- The Big 5: Try all our cocktails with Gin, Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila or Rum.
- Tropical & Beach Drinks: Go for all our Beach Drinks, Tropical Drinks, Pineapple Juice Drinks or Coconut Cocktails.
This is my first time seeing your recipes for cocktails. They look refreshing and tasty. I would love to see your food recipes. I myself love to cook. I look forward to seeing more. Thank you.
Seus drinks são perfeitos!
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