Lava Flow

The Lava Flow cocktail is one of those drinks that has a visual effect, but different recipes offer different instructions on how to achieve it. I tested the first method several times, and got results I wasn’t happy with. Then I tested another method and was also less then thrilled.

Then I realized I had misread the recipe instructions the whole time, and wanted to bang my head against the wall. Let this be a lesson, friends: when a cocktail recipe mentions a visual effect it’s supposed to have, read carefully and follow the instructions to the letter. If you’re already a bit tipsy, now is not the time to even attempt it.

No matter how this one ends up looking, the taste is wonderful. Strawberry, banana and coconut, pretty much in that order. It’s a simple tropical drink that’s great in summertime, but also makes you feel like it’s summertime when it’s not.

Recipe

1 ounce light rum
1 ounce Malibu coconut rum
2 ounces pureed strawberries
1 banana
2 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces coconut cream

Blend the banana, coconut cream and pineapple juice and set aside. Pour the rums and pureed strawberries into a hurricane glass and stir them together. Pour the banana mixture slowly into the glass, so the strawberry mixture creeps up the sides like lava. If as you’re pouring you notice it’s not creeping to your satisfaction, tilt the glass and maybe twist it as you pour so the strawberry mix gets up the sides.