Whether it’s rum cake or a smooth boozy pina colada, using the best coconut rum for these recipes never disappoints. Typically, coconut rum features a refreshingly sweet and somewhat creamy fresh coconut taste accentuated by citrus, tropical fruit, and hints of molasses.
A uniquely sweet and tropical-style drink, coconut rum works great in decadent desserts and flavorful classic tropical cocktails. In fact, the best coconut rum does a fantastic job of elevating pina Coladas, Bahama mamas, mojitos, and daiquiri.
Also check: 20 Best Dark Rum Brands
Today, we’ve selected 15 of the best coconut rum options recommended by bartenders for your cocktails, desserts, or even to drink neat.
Top 15 Best Coconut Rums To Try
1. Malibu Coconut Rum
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Price: $18.99 (21% ABV, 750ml)
The Malibu Coconut Rum is the ultimate cocktail rum, a popular base for the best pina Coladas. In reality, Malibu rum is a coconut liqueur. However, its popular addition to classic rum-based cocktails such as pina Coladas and mojitos has qualified it as one of the best-selling rums on the market.
This popular and easy-to-access rum is made using oak-aged sugarcane, pure water, and coconut flavoring in Barbados. The coconut rum features delicious notes of sweet coconut, brown sugar, and vanilla bean.
The Malibu coconut rum is an excellent tropical rum option and is a pretty popular rum variety in many outdoor activities.
More: What To Mix With Malibu Coconut Rum
2. Malibu Black
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Price: $18.99 (35% ABV, 750ml)
A dark version of the Malibu coconut rum, the Malibu Black rum has a higher alcohol proof and more intense flavor. This Bajan coconut rum offers a more robust and bolder flavor with a natural tropical coconut taste without the overly accentuates syrupy sugar aftertaste.
You also get more kick from Malibu Black which makes it an excellent base in cocktails where the taste of regular coconut rum can be easily lost. Nonetheless, this dark, dry coconut rum with rich notes of vanilla and caramel is best enjoyed on its own.
Enjoy it on the rocks or add a squeeze of lime, a splash of seltzer, or soda to liven it up. If you want to sample the rum in cocktails, try it in a dark & stormy or pina colada.
More: Malibu Rum Bottle Prices And Sizes
3. Brinley Gold Shipwreck Coconut Rum
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Price: $24.99 (15% ABV, 750ml)
Since we are on the topic of the best coconut rums for cocktails, you should certainly give the Brinley Shipwreck Coconut rum a try. Handcrafted on the St. Kitts Island, the well-balanced drink is perfect to add to your mai tai.
A not-so-sweet cocktail, the coconut rum packs a good balance of sweet and confectionary notes to amp up its sweetness. The hand-crafted rum boasts delicious tasting notes of toasted coconut, molasses, and baking spice to add to your cocktails
4. Siesta Key Toasted Coconut Rum
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Price: $27.99 (35% ABV, 750ml)
If you want to enjoy authentic coconut rum, the Siesta Key Toasted Coconut Rum is the perfect booze. Infused with real toasted coconut, the rum guarantees authentic flavors and quality. Now, this is a pretty unique distillation process compared to the regular pouring of liquid flavoring into base rums.
In fact, only a few bottles are hand-crafted at the artisan distillery to guarantee the rum’s premium quality. To boost the natural toasted coconut flavor, the rum is also added with real ingredients, such as ground spices and honey. The rum’s natural toasted coconut infusion gives it a pleasant taste to best savor cool with ice or accentuated with tropical flavors of a splash of chilled fresh pineapple juice.
5. Captain Morgan Parrott Bay Coconut Rum 90 Proof
Price: $19.99 (45% ABV, 750ml)
A product of the Captain Morgan brand, the Parrott Bay coconut rum is what you should use for boozy cocktails. The flavored rum is an elevated nearly over-proof option for people who want a stronger variety from the lower 42-proof variety.
Yet, this Puerto Rican rum maintains incredible flavors that not even the high alcohol content can mask. It features a light crisp Puerto Rican rum added with fresh and rich, decadent coconut flavor that does pretty well in any classic cocktail.
Whether you add it to your pina colada or mojito, the rum’s light crispiness and rich, creamy coconut-ey flavor notes are guaranteed to transport you to a tropical oceanic paradise – even if you are in the middle of Newyork on a cold winter evening!
6. Bacardi Coconut Rum
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Price: $15.99 (35% ABV, 750ml)
A popular rum variety, the Bacardi coconut rum is made using crisp Caribbean rum blended with the essence of real coconut. As a result, you get a dry and clean spirit with a rich, sophisticated coconut flavor and aroma.
However, the coconut rum also has a faint sweetness and sugary-syrupy finish that doesn’t make it as pleasant as a sipper. But, the flavor and profile combination makes for an excellent cocktail base. Whether you add it to a pina colada, mojito, lemonade, or daiquiri, it doesn’t disappoint.
7. Don Q Coco Rum
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Price: $22.99 (21% ABV, 1.75L)
The Don Q Coco Rum is outstanding budget-friendly rum – selling at the fraction of the price of rum with similar qualities. Yet, this doesn’t mean the flavors are compromised. Even at its budget-friendly price tag, the Puerto Rican rum produces a well-balanced flavor profile.
The coconut-flavored rum combines 1 to 1.5-year-old Caribbean rum mixed with natural coconut extract. As a result, it develops beautiful fruity notes of mango, pineapple, and molasses. You can enjoy it in cocktails such as daiquiris or Bahama mamas. Alternatively, you can take it as a sipper – it’s that good!
8. Sugar Island Coconut Rum
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Price: $17.99 (21% ABV, 750ml)
The Sugar Island Coconut Rum is what you stock up for crafting creative tropical cocktails. Think – a fun tropical-inspired girls’ night “in” or a pool party! The rum is made from a mixture of rum and coconut flavor that produces a complex flavor profile.
The coconut rum can be described as a sweet coconut, bright, silky, and smooth. The rum is particularly great in naturally sweet cocktails like pina Coladas, tropical martinis, or hurricanes. Its excellent bright, crisp finish also makes it a fantastic addition to crisp, clean cocktails, such as rum spritz.
9. Koloa Kauai Coconut Rum
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Price: $34.99 (40% ABV, 750ml)
A Hawaiian original, the Koloa Kauai Coconut Rum fetches slightly higher than your average rum. But, it’s certainly worth the splurge. The rum is crafted using 100% pure cane sugar and natural coconut flavors. The rum is first distilled twice at 160-189 ABV in a vintage steam-powered copper pot still. It is then cut with filtered water from the ancient Mount Waiʻaleʻale.
The process produces white rum with a hint of Chantilly green. On the nose, it emanates a pleasant, almost therapeutic intense coconut aroma with subtle roasted coconut and pina colada hints. On the palate, the rum is dry with a fresh coconut taste and lightly toasted coconut, fresh lime zest, and caramelized pineapple finish.
It’s certainly a well-rounded rum to stock in your bar – offering the versatility of a great sipper, shooter, and tropical cocktail base.
10. Wicked Dolphin Coconut Rum
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Price: $21.99 (30% ABV, 750ml)
The award-winning Wicked Dolphin Coconut Rum is made in small batches with a focus on quality than quantity. The flavored rum integrates Florida sugar cane with local ingredients and real coconut water to give it a subtle and well-balanced authentic flavored profile.
The best part about this rum is that it has a genuine coconut taste but, with less sugar than most flavored rum brands. The clear and slightly hazy coconut rum has a clean and straightforward nose with an intense coconut water aroma.
The gluten-free, vegan friendly has a delicate body with a rich, bold coconut taste and undertones of sweet vanilla. The use of real coconut water allows the rum to finish off with fresh coconut flavors without any unpleasant sugary or syrupy taste. You can enjoy the rum straight, on the rocks, with a slash of tropical juice, or mixed in your favorite rum-based cocktail.
11. Coconut Cartel
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Price: $36.99 (40% ABV, 750ml)
For the ultimate sipper, the Coconut Cartel is a great viable candidate. This matured spirit feature use of well-aged Guatemalan rum and locally sourced coconut water. The rum’s crafting is inspired by Miami’s tradition of spiking cold coconuts with Guatemalan rum.
As a result, this unique combination produces a fresh, crispy clean, tropical boozy sensation in the mouth. Coconut Cartel using 4 to 12-year-old rum aged in new charred American oak casks proofed with fresh coconut water. In fact, the rum is infused with fresh coconut water during the blending process.
The resulting product produces a simple, yet, elegant taste with typical coconut in the backdrop of the traditional oaky and caramel booze. The rum also develops its dry and smooth body with just the right tuning of sweetness. Sipping it over ice brings to life the most invigorating and refreshing taste of the rum.
12. Montauk Rum Runners Coconut Rum
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Price: $41.99 (30% ABV, 750ml)
The Montauk Rum Runners Coconut Rum has a pretty interesting story that is an accurate representation of its equally unique flavors. For one, this is rum made on a small island in the heart of New York, known as Montauk.
The combination of ingredients, including the rum and coconut flavor, gives it a complex oaky, vanilla, rich coconut, and maple syrup flavor profile. However, this is not where the uniqueness of the rum stems. The rum is an inspiration by rum runners during the prohibition era who’d sell their stock at the rum line.
This is what they called a US territory off the coast of Montauk which was considered international waters where they were not bound by US laws. Yet, over the years, the distillery has mastered the recipe, developing sweet and smooth Caribbean-inspired rum best enjoyed over crushed ice or in a tropical cocktail like true Caribbean rum.
13. Hard Truth Distilling Co. Toasted Coconut Rum
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Price: $25.99 (21% ABV, 750ml)
The Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum is made using classic white rum that pairs with all-natural ingredients to produce the subtle, balanced flavored rum. The white rum is infused with in-house toasted flaked coconut, cane guar, and natural sea salt to really wake this tropical-inspired spirit. The contrasting blending of cane sugar and sea salt help to balance out the rum while lightly sweetening it.
on the nose, the coconut rum offers a salted caramel aroma with coconut hints. on the other hand, it has a rich mouth feel with buttercream and caramel notes with coconut undertones. Further, the rum finishes off with familiar tropical sweetness. You can best enjoy the toasted coconut rum in lemonade, cold citrus hard seltzer, or in a tropical Bahama mama.
14. Cruzan Coconut Rum
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Price: $12.99 – 14.99 (21% ABV, 750ml)
The Cruzan Coconut Rum combines a smooth mix of high quality white Cruzan rum and natural creamy coconut flavor. The extra attention put into curating the coconut flavor gives it a smooth, boozy, and refreshing taste that goes well with various drinks or on its own.
You can enjoy the Cruzan rum on its own over ice or add it to your favorite home-crafted cocktails. Alternatively, you can combine it with other delicious Cruzan misers, such as the Cruzan Confusion made with a blend of tropical flavors such as pineapple, banana, and mango.
15. Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum
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Price: $20.99 (26.5% ABV, 750ml)
Inspired by multi-platinum singer, Kenny Chesney’s lifestyle, the Blue Chair Bay Rum is a true Caribbean treasure. The coconut rum features a blend of Caribbean rum with fresh coconut water. In turn, the flavors can only be described as ultra strong booze with a smooth coconut-ey finish – as smooth as the ocean.
Because of the use of fresh coconut water, the rum features an authentic lightly sweet coconut taste with caramel and nutmeg undertones. Further, the rum finishes off with its slight sweetness and faint boozy sensation. So, rum isn’t the best rum to enjoy neat.
Nonetheless, the coconut rum can be best enjoyed on the rocks or with a splash of soda to bring out the flavors. Its nuanced boozy coconut notes also make it a great addition to any tropical rum-based cocktail.
Tip: Invest in the coconut spiced rum cream variety for the holiday seasons in place of the original coconut rum to bring the beach to your home.
This variety combines a blend of coconut rum, real cream, and island and holiday spices to give your holiday drinks the extra kick they drink. You can make any drink stand out, whether rum-based espresso martini or creamy decadent Pina Coladas.
FAQs
Is Bacardi Or Malibu Better?
The primary difference between Bacardi and Malibu coconut rums is their alcohol volume. Malibu Original Coconut Rum tends to have a lower alcohol proof (42 US proof, 21% ABV). On the other hand, Bacardi Coconut Rum has a higher alcohol volume (70 US Proof, 35% ABV). This, in turn, gives the rum a much smoother taste and feel compared to Bacardi rum.
Is Malibu Rum The Same As Coconut Rum?
Malibu rum and coconut rum are the same. Malibu rum is simply a brand name that produces coconut rum. Coconut rum usually refers to rum infused with coconut flavors. This can be done in any manner, whether by adding coconut flavoring, coconut extract, coconut essence, or natural coconut water.
Malibu rum is made by mixing Caribbean white rum with coconut flavoring. However, some experts argue that Malibu rum may not qualify as rum. This is because rum should contain at least 80 US proof (40% ABV) alcohol volumes. Malibu rum only contains 42 US proof (21% ABV) alcohol volumes.
Does Captain Morgan Coconut Rum Have Coconut?
Captain Morgan coconut rum is infused with real coconut essence. This gives it an authentic tropical taste with a sweet coconut aftertaste. If you don’t want to taste the typical sugary, syrupy, artificial flavors you’d get from coconut-flavored rum, Bacardi is an excellent, budget-friendly option.
Which Is The Best Malibu Rum?
The original Malibu coconut rum is the best Malibu rum the brand produces. However, this is not the only variety you get from the brand.
As a prominent producer of various flavored rum varieties, the Malibu brand offers a selection of delicious rum varieties, including Malibu Black, Malibu Pineapples, and Malibu Tropicana Banana.
Conclusion
With the best coconut rum, you can take your cocktail drink or dessert-making affair to the next level. After all, each manufacturer adds their own magic to the rum, giving you a variety of pretty excellent quality spirits to sample.
From our list, you will get anything from the perfect sippers, a creamy variety for decadent cocktails like pina Coladas, and even a darker, bolder taste for dark & stormy cocktails.
Plus, you can also find a good few options for your baking and dessert recipes, whether rum cake or a boozy fruit bowl. So, the next time you want to stock your bar with the ultimate tropical spirit, our best coconut rum recommendations can help you out.
