Post #1220 by woofmutt on Fri, May 3, 2002 2:45 PM

Yes, mix up your coconut cream until it is completely smooth. The cans usually say "Shake Well" but you'd have to have a paint mixer for an arm to get it mixed up good. Empty the whole can into a good sized bowl, use a whisk on it (blend it, don't whip it up), and then put the cream into another container (it'll need mixing again after sitting a bit but it won't be as bad as it is off the shelf).

I recently tried making the Coconaut from Beach Bum Berry's Grog Log using 3 different types of coconut cream, Coco Goya, Coco Lopez, and a standard unsweetend coconut milk. Coco Goya has a slightly sick flavor to it, not reccomended. The coconut milk seperated into fat bits in the drink. Coco Lopez was the best in flavor and mixing and definitely worth the slightly higher price.

As for the color, yes, I think a Blue Hawaii / Blue Hawaiian is always going to be a sort of teal color due to the presence of the yellowish pineapple juice. You could just call the color Blue Hawaiian blue or experiment with upping the amount of blue curacao or decreasing the amount of pineapple juice, whatever your flavor preference. Or create your own blue drink with a true blue color, maybe usuing a pineapple flavored rum instead of pineapple juice (this will increase the sweetness somewhat).

From Michael Jackson's Pocket Bartender's Guide (1979)(Mr. Jackson, the Brittish drinks and beer expert, not the goofball of pop) here's a recipe for a Blue Hawaiian that's not blenderized:

1/2 oz blue curacao
2 oz rum
1 oz pineapple juice
1 teaspoon coconut cream

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

"An after-office drink for smart young things," Mr Jackson wrote. He attributes the drink to the Zanzibar Club in London. My experience with this drink is that you need to make sure your coconut cream is mixed REALLY good, and then pour the drink through a fine mesh screen to hopefully catch any bits of coconut fat. It looks real cool in a martini glass.