Coconut Cream (Coco López / Cream of Coconut)

Sweetened coconut cream — the Piña Colada's and Painkiller's body.

Syrups & Sweeteners Puerto Rico
Flavor profile: sweetcreamy

Coco López cream of coconut (not coconut milk — an essential distinction) is a sweetened, thick coconut-coconut-fat syrup developed in Puerto Rico in the 1950s and effectively invented for the Piña Colada. It is what gives the drink its lush, silky richness. Coconut milk alone is too thin and unsweetened; coconut cream without sugar is too dense. Coco López is the standard; Real Cream of Coconut is another reliable brand.

History

Ramón López Irizarry developed Coco López in 1954 in Puerto Rico as a stabilized, sweetened cream of coconut. The Piña Colada in its modern form follows shortly after.

Common uses

Piña Colada, Painkiller.

Cocktails that use Coconut Cream (Coco López / Cream of Coconut)

  • Piña Colada — White rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice — Puerto Rico's pride
  • Painkiller — Navy rum, pineapple, orange, and coconut cream — created in the British Virgin Islands