Cabo Colada: A Cabo White Rum Cocktail

I like how a cocktail takes you on a nice little private vacation — sometimes two or three places depending on the mix of liquors — and how I can close my eyes and relive the place. The Cabo Colada: a Cabo white rum cocktail is so tropical and, so… balmily Goa! I’m taken back there in an instant, minus the sand between my toes. It’s made mainly using Cabo white rum, a Goan white rum with coconut liqueur. Cabo is mild, sweet tasting and quite similar to the Caribbean rum, Malibu. Before you dismiss it as being too light, you must appreciate its virgin form as you don’t have to hunt around for a syrup — ice is enough. It is a bottled cocktail already, thanks to the coconut liqueur, which I must admit seems natural and sharp, much like Goa’s other famous drinks: feni, as you know it, (a spirit distilled from cashew apples — have you tried it roasted or in chutneys and vinegars?), and coconut feni. Plus, it can be drunk anytime — it can hold its own.

Cabo white rum with coconut liqueur gives away everything in the way it is named. There’s the rum — liquor, and there’s the coconut liqueur — the liqueur. That’s why I knew it would make a great base for piña colada — but I already had coconut in the rum and I wanted something similar, yet different (read: minus the sweetness). And so, with a little mixing and a lot of tasting, I landed Cabo Colada. To balance the resulting sweet liqueur, I added a dash of lime juice and some coconut feni. Yes, coconut feni exists, and I urge you to try it! I used Monin Piña Colada Syrup to make this cocktail. Sussegad (a way of life that’s rooted in Goa’s colonial history, loosely translated: a lazy enjoyment of life to the fullest) in a glass!

Wait. What if you don’t have access to a piña colada syrup? You simply make the syrup from the dreamy piña colada recipe found here, of course, without the rum, since you’re going to be using Cabo. You could also do away with the palm jaggery and reduce the quantity of coconut cream by more than half. Even if you only have pineapple juice, you can still make Cabo Colada. It results in a beautiful mix of flavours. Let me know how it goes in the comments below or with the hashtag #notjustspice in Instagram or @notjustspice on Facebook.

And if you’re out of pineapple juice, ice is enough. No ice? Chilled, then.

And if you’re a big fan of coconut and pineapples, do check out this very warm coconut pineapple upside down cake recipe and the perfect pineapple upside down cake recipe.

Ready? We’re taking a trip to Goa.

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Cabo Colada: A Cabo White Rum Cocktail

Made using Cabo, a Goan white rum with coconut liqueur, the Cabo Colada tropical and balmily Goa! I’m taken back to Goa in an instant.

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz) Cabo white rum with coconut liqueur
• 30 ml Coconut feni
• 30 ml (1 oz) piña colada syrup or pineapple juice
• 5-6 ice cubes
• 3-4 teaspoons lime juice adjust to your taste
• A slice of lime to serve

Instructions

1. Fill your glass with the ice cubes and let rest in the freezer while you mix the cocktail.

2. Blend the white rum, coconut feni, syrup and lime juice, and pour it in the now chilled glass.

3. Serving: Serve it chilled, with a slice of lime.

Notes

If you don't have the syrup, use the recipe for piña colada found here — please do away with the palm jaggery or sugar and reduce the quantity of coconut cream by more than a half.

Increase each serving proportionately to make an additional cocktail. I don't know if Cabo, or cashew feni is available outside of India. If they are, let me know okay? If it isn't available where you stay and you still want to try Cabo Colada, why don't you try it with Malibu, the Caribbean rum? A double shot of it if you can't get your hands on coconut feni as well.

Related Links:

Warm Coconut Pineapple Upside Down Cake (not just spice)

The Perfect Pineapple Upside Down Cake (not just spice)

Dreamy Piña Colada (not just spice)

Feni (liquor) (Wikipedia)

PS — By the time I took photographs, the ice cubes melted. It was quite a hot day!