• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Encharted Cook logo
  • Recipes
  • Charts
  • The Dish
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Charts
  • The Dish
  • About
  • Subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Charts
  • The Dish
  • About
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Recipes » Beverage Recipes

Coconut Rum Sunrise Cocktail

Published: Jun 17, 2019 by Jan Nunes

Skip to Recipe Pin It Now!
Pinterest Pin of a beautiful layered cocktail of light orange to dark red in a tall glass with crushed ice.
Layered beverage in a tall glass with a ice and a straw.
Beautiful white, red, and orange layered cocktail.

Coconut Rum Sunrise Cocktail is a gorgeous layered cocktail that contains cream of coconut, orange juice, Malibu rum, and grenadine. This sweet, refreshing drink is perfect for hot summer days when you are grilling. Plus it is a stunning drink to serve when you are entertaining.

Portrait Image of a beautiful layered cocktail of light orange to dark red in a tall glass with crushed ice.
Jump to:
  • My Twist on a Classic Cocktail
  • How to Make a Layered Cocktail
  • What is Malibu Coconut Rum?
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • My Top Tips
  • Substitutions and Variations
  • Make it in Advance for a Party
  • What to Serve With It and When
  • More Delicious Cocktail Recipes!
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Don't you just love layered cocktails like the Lava Flow and stacked drinks like the B-52? I know I sure do!

So, I invented the Coconut Rum Sunrise, my own creation of a delicious, light, boozy drink that has beautiful layers of color and flavors. You might think making these types of drinks is hard, but I promise you it is not hard at all!

My Twist on a Classic Cocktail

This cocktail is an update on the Tequila Sunrise Cocktail and my twist on this classic cocktail is to use lots of coconut. Coconut rum is substituted for tequila and a layer of cream of coconut at the bottom of the glass gives extra sweetness and beauty to this drink.

I like moving my straw up and down through the layers of the cocktail. Sometimes I just want to taste the orange and coconut layer and sometimes I like just a tiny sip of the cream of coconut. Some people like to stir the layers and mix the cream of coconut into their drink.

How to Make a Layered Cocktail

The trick to making a layered drink is to put heavy-weighted liquors or liquids on the bottom and lighter ones on top. This is why this cocktail starts with a layer of cream of coconut at the bottom of the glass. It is the heaviest of the ingredients.

The next layer is the orange juice mixed with coconut rum. It is lighter and stays on top of the cream of coconut.

Grenadine syrup is the last ingredient added to this cocktail. The grenadine syrup is poured slowly and because it is heavier than the orange juice and rum it falls to the bottom of the cocktail on top of the cream of coconut. It's like magic!

What is Malibu Coconut Rum?

Malibu Coconut Rum is a sweetened and flavored rum from the brand "Malibu" and contains Caribbean silver rum mixed with a sweet coconut liqueur. Technically, because it is a sweetened spirit it is considered a liqueur and not a true rum.

I like using Malibu rum because it is not too sweet and gives a nice punch of coconut flavor to any mixed drink. Containing just 21% alcohol, it is perfectly suited for fun tropical drinks like this one.

Ingredients

The rum cocktail ingredients. Clockwise from top right: Malibu coconut rum, orange juice, cream of coconut, grenadine syrup.

To make this layered tropical drink you will need these 4 ingredients plus crushed ice:

  • Cream of Coconut - This is a creamy coconut syrup that is made with coconut, sugar, and emulsifiers to create a thick and sweet "coconut cream" that is similar to sweetened condensed milk in thickness and sweetness.
  • Orange Juice - Fresh orange juice is always best!
  • Malibu Coconut Rum - is a coconut-flavored, sweet light rum.
  • Grenadine Syrup - is a sweet cocktail mixer with a brilliant red color that contains pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice.

Optional Garnishes - Maraschino cherries a slice from an orange are simple and beautiful garnishes for this drink.

Instructions

Crushed ice and cream of coconut in a tall glass.

Step 1 – Squeeze the cream of coconut into the bottom of a 16-ounce glass to make the white layer of the cocktail. Gently fill the glass with crushed ice. Do not mix or stir the cream of coconut with the crushed ice.

Malibu coconut rum and orange juice are mixed in a small crystal pitcher.
Malibu coconut rum and orange juice poured over the crushed ice and cream of coconut in a tall glass.

Step 2 – Mix Malibu rum and orange juice together and pour over the crushed ice.

Grenadine syrup is poured into the cocktail.

Step 3 – Add the grenadine syrup in a slow steady stream. The grenadine syrup will fall to the bottom of the glass and rest on top of the cream of coconut to make the red layer of the cocktail. Do not stir!

How to cut an orange garnish.

Step 4 – Garnish the drink with a slice from an orange or maraschino cherries and add a straw.

The finished cocktail with beautiful layers of colors and flavors.

My Top Tips

Refrigerate the Ingredients - Keep all of your ingredients in the refrigerator so your drink will stay nice and icy cold. You can also keep coconut rum in the freezer.

Do Not Stir - To get that beautiful layered look, do not stir this cocktail while making it.

Substitutions and Variations

Switch Up The Coconut Rum - There are many other mainstream brands of coconut rum like Bacardi, Cruzan, and Parrot Bay and each one is slightly different in flavor and contains an alcohol content ranging from 21% to 40%. You can substitute any of these for the Malibu to personalize your drink.

Mocktail Version - Omit the rum and increase the orange juice to 6 ounces. Add ½ teaspoon of coconut extract to the orange juice for the coconut flavor.

Aperol Version – If you would like a less sweet drink, substitute Aperol for the grenadine syrup.

Make it in Advance for a Party

This recipe is for a single serving but you easily scale up to multiple servings by multiplying the amount of each ingredient by the number of guests. You also can do the following steps in advance:

  • Cut the orange garnish or plan to use maraschino cherries.
  • Mix the orange juice and coconut rum.
  • Squeeze the cream of coconut into glasses.

Now you can quickly make this drink at a party as needed! Add the crushed ice to the prepped cream of coconut glasses and then pour the combined orange juice and rum into each glass. Lastly, pour the grenadine syrup and garnish each drink.

What to Serve With It and When

You can serve this drink any time during the day by itself or with any meal. It pairs very well with salty foods and snacks like chips and Simple Guacamole or a Chili Cheese Dip.

It is also a terrific brunch cocktail and is delicious with scrambled egg dishes like Pizza Eggs.

Portrait image of a beautiful layered cocktail of light orange to dark red in a tall glass with crushed ice.
For extra fun, I like striped paper straws for this cocktail, but any straw will do!

More Delicious Cocktail Recipes!

  • Bahama Mama
  • Strawberry Frosé Slushies
  • Lillet Bellini Cocktail
  • Maple Beam & Cream Cocktail
  • Elderflower & Lemon Mimosa

📖 Recipe

Layered orange juice, coconut rum, cream of coconut, and grenadine syrup cocktail.

Coconut Rum Sunrise Cocktail

4.67 from 15 votes
Encharted Cook | Jan Nunes
Coconut Rum Sunrise Cocktail is a gorgeous layered cocktail that contains cream of coconut, orange juice, Malibu rum, and grenadine. This cocktail is so delicious and very easy to make!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Total Time 5 mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 1 Serving
Calories 541 kcal

Ingredients
 

Cocktail

  • 2 Ounces Cream of Coconut
  • Crushed Ice
  • 2 Ounces Malibu Coconut Rum
  • 4 Ounces Orange Juice
  • 1 ½ Ounces Grenadine Syrup

Garnishes

  • Slice of an Orange and/or Maraschino Cherries

Instructions
 

  • Squeeze the cream of coconut into the bottom of a 16-ounce glass to make the white layer of the cocktail. Gently fill the glass with crushed ice. Do not mix or stir the cream of coconut with the crushed ice.
    2 Ounces Cream of Coconut, Crushed Ice
  • Mix Malibu coconut rum and orange juice together and pour over the crushed ice.
    2 Ounces Malibu Coconut Rum, 4 Ounces Orange Juice
  • Add the grenadine syrup in a slow steady stream. The grenadine syrup will fall to the bottom of the glass and rest on top of the cream of coconut to make the red layer of the cocktail. Do not stir!
    1 ½ Ounces Grenadine Syrup
  • Garnish the drink with a slice of an orange or with marashino cherries and add a straw.
    Slice of an Orange and/or Maraschino Cherries

Video

Notes

My Top Tips
Refrigerate the Ingredients - Keep your ingredients in the refrigerator so your drink will stay nice and icy cold. You can also keep coconut rum in the freezer.
Do Not Stir - To get that beautiful layered look, do not stir this cocktail while making it.
Substitutions and Variations
Switch Up The Coconut Rum - There are many other mainstream brands of coconut rum like Bacardi, Cruzan, and Parrot Bay and each one is slightly different in flavor and contains an alcohol content ranging from 21% to 40%. You can substitute any of these for the Malibu to personalize your drink.
Mocktail Version - Omit the coconut rum and increase the orange juice to 6 ounces. Add ½ teaspoon of coconut extract to the orange juice for the coconut flavor.
Aperol Version – If you would like a less sweet drink, substitute Aperol for the grenadine syrup.
Make it in Advance for a Party
Since this recipe is for a single serving it can be easily scaled up to multiple servings by multiplying the amount of each ingredient by the number of guests. You also can do the following steps in advance:
  • Cut the orange garnish or plan to use maraschino cherries.
  • Mix the orange juice and coconut rum.
  • Squeeze the cream of coconut into glasses.
Now you can quickly make this drink at a party as needed! Add the crushed ice to the prepped cream of coconut glasses and then pour the combined orange juice and coconut rum into each glass. Lastly, pour the grenadine syrup and garnish each drink.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 56.7mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.2mg

All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

centered image

More Beverage Recipes

  • Classic Hot Toddy
  • Brandy Manhattan Cocktail
  • Tequila Hot Toddy
  • Homemade Ginger Ale
  • Share
  • Twitter
  • Email

Primary Sidebar

Hello and Welcome to Encharted Cook!

I'm Jan and I love to cook for friends and family. Over the years I have learned that many recipes are related and if you learn to make one delicious dish and you can make many more. So come join me as I chart recipes and ingredients and share my favorite dishes.

More about Jan →

♥ Featured Web Story

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup Story

♥ All-Time Reader Favs

  • Coconut Rum Sunrise Cocktail
  • Everything Chaffle
  • Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas
  • Maple Beam and Cream Cocktail
  • Pizza Eggs
  • Red Wine Sauce with Berries

♥ Featured Chart

  • How to Make Crumb and Streusel Toppings

♥ Follow Me on Feedly!

follow us in feedly

Footer

↑ back to top

More About Encharted Cook

Privacy Policy
Copyright Notice
Contact Me

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • RSS Feed

COPYRIGHT © 2018 - 2023 ENCHARTED COOK, JAN NUNES