Beverages Basic Knowledge, Blog
Nata De Coco Cocktail: 6 Mocktail Recipes, A Fruit Cocktail, And The Right Ratio
Dec
| Prep | Serves | Nata de coco per glass | Alcohol |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min | 1 × 300 ml | 45 g (15%) | None |
A nata de coco cocktail is a mixed drink of fruit juice, coconut water, or soda with chewy cubes of nata de coco, and most versions are alcohol-free mocktails. Nata de coco is a translucent gel of bacterial cellulose made by fermenting coconut water, so it adds a springy bite without changing the flavor of the drink. You make one glass in 5 minutes with 45 g (1.6 oz) of nata de coco, a fruit base, a fizzy or coconut element, a squeeze of lime, and ice.
This guide gives you the base formula and a 6-step method, the right amount of nata de coco per glass, and 6 mocktail recipes with exact quantities in metric and US units. It also explains the Filipino-style nata de coco fruit cocktail, how to add a spirit for an adult version, how bars batch these drinks, and which ready-to-drink juices with nata de coco work as a mocktail base.
What Do You Need For A Nata De Coco Cocktail?
You need 5 components for a nata de coco cocktail: nata de coco, a fruit base, a fizzy or coconut element, an acid, and ice. The table below gives the amounts for one 300 ml (10 fl oz) glass.
| Component | Per 300 ml (10 fl oz) glass | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Nata de coco, drained | 45 g (1.6 oz) | Plain, lychee, or coconut-flavored cubes |
| Fruit base | 120–150 ml (4–5 fl oz) | Pineapple, lychee, mango, or passion fruit juice |
| Fizz or coconut | 60–90 ml (2–3 fl oz) | Soda water, coconut water, or coconut cream |
| Acid | 10–15 ml (2–3 tsp) | Lime, lemon, or calamansi juice |
| Sweetener (optional) | 10–15 ml (2–3 tsp) | Simple syrup |
| Ice | 1 cup | Cubed or crushed |
The tools are simple: a cocktail shaker or a jar with a lid, a small strainer, a chilled glass, and a wide straw that fits the cubes.
How Do You Make A Nata De Coco Cocktail?
To make a nata de coco cocktail, shake the juice, acid, and syrup with ice, strain the mix over nata de coco in a chilled glass, and top it with soda. The full method takes 6 steps:
- Drain and rinse the nata de coco. Rinse 45 g (1.6 oz) of cubes in cold water to remove the packing syrup.
- Chill the glass. Fill the glass with ice water for 1 minute, then empty it.
- Add the cubes to the glass. Put the nata de coco and fresh ice in the glass, not in the shaker.
- Shake the base. Shake the juice, acid, and syrup with ice for 10–15 seconds.
- Strain. Strain the base over the ice and cubes.
- Top and garnish. Top the glass with soda or coconut water, add a fruit garnish, and serve with a wide straw.
The cubes go straight into the glass because they block the strainer and gain nothing from shaking. The shake only chills and dilutes the juice base.
How Much Nata De Coco Should You Put In A Cocktail?
The right amount is 45 g (1.6 oz) of nata de coco per 300 ml (10 fl oz) glass, which is 15% of the drink. The same 15% share appears in bottled juice drinks with nata de coco from Nico, so the texture matches what drinkers already know.
| Style | Nata de coco | Share | Straw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 30 g (1.1 oz) | 10% | Standard straw with 5 mm (0.2 in) cubes |
| Classic | 45 g (1.6 oz) | 15% | Wide straw |
| Dessert-style | 75 g (2.6 oz) | 25% | Wide straw and a spoon |
Which Nata De Coco Mocktails Can You Make?
You can make 6 nata de coco mocktails: a pineapple coconut cooler, a tropical breeze, a lychee coconut fizz, a virgin piña colada, a sparkling fruit punch, and a mango passion fruit mocktail. Each recipe makes one 300 ml (10 fl oz) glass and contains no alcohol.
Pineapple Coconut Cooler
A pineapple coconut cooler pairs sweet pineapple juice with light coconut water.
- 150 ml (5 fl oz) pineapple juice
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) coconut water
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice
- 45 g (1.6 oz) nata de coco
- 1 pineapple wedge and ice
Shake the pineapple juice and lime juice with ice. Strain the mix over nata de coco and ice, top it with coconut water, and garnish the glass with the pineapple wedge.
Tropical Breeze Mocktail
A tropical breeze mocktail combines coconut water, lime, and mint for a light, crisp drink.
- 150 ml (5 fl oz) coconut water
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) soda water
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice
- 10 ml (2 tsp) simple syrup
- 45 g (1.6 oz) nata de coco
- 6 mint leaves and ice
Muddle the mint with the lime juice and syrup in the glass. Add nata de coco, ice, and coconut water, then top the glass with soda water.
Lychee Coconut Fizz
A lychee coconut fizz mixes floral lychee juice with creamy coconut and soda.
- 90 ml (3 fl oz) lychee juice
- 30 ml (1 fl oz) coconut cream
- 90 ml (3 fl oz) soda water
- 45 g (1.6 oz) nata de coco
- 1 lychee and ice
Stir the lychee juice and coconut cream until smooth. Pour the mix over nata de coco and ice, top it with soda water, and garnish the glass with the lychee.
Virgin Piña Colada With Nata De Coco
A virgin piña colada with nata de coco is a frozen pineapple and coconut drink with the cubes stirred in after blending.
- 120 ml (4 fl oz) pineapple juice
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) coconut cream
- 150 g (1 cup) crushed ice
- 45 g (1.6 oz) nata de coco
- 1 pineapple wedge
Blend the pineapple juice, coconut cream, and crushed ice for 20 seconds until thick. Pour the drink into a glass and stir in the nata de coco with a spoon.
Sparkling Fruit Punch With Nata De Coco
A sparkling fruit punch with nata de coco is an alcohol-free take on sangria, built from grape juice, orange juice, and fruit.
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) red grape juice
- 50 ml (1.7 fl oz) orange juice
- 90 ml (3 fl oz) sparkling water
- 45 g (1.6 oz) nata de coco
- 2 orange slices, 4 berries, and ice
Stir the grape juice and orange juice with the orange slices and berries. Pour the mix over nata de coco and ice, then top the glass with sparkling water. For a party pitcher of 6 glasses, multiply every amount by 6 and add the sparkling water just before serving.
Mango Passion Fruit Mocktail
A mango passion fruit mocktail layers tangy passion fruit over sweet mango juice.
- 120 ml (4 fl oz) mango juice or nectar
- 30 ml (1 fl oz) passion fruit pulp (about 1 passion fruit)
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) soda water
- 10 ml (2 tsp) lime juice
- 45 g (1.6 oz) nata de coco and ice
Shake the mango juice and lime juice with ice. Strain the mix over nata de coco and ice, top it with soda water, and spoon the passion fruit pulp on top.
What Is A Nata De Coco Fruit Cocktail?
A nata de coco fruit cocktail is canned mixed fruit (fruit cocktail) combined with nata de coco, served as a chilled dessert or as a spoonable drink. The dish is popular in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where “fruit cocktail” means canned diced fruit such as peaches, pears, pineapple, grapes, and cherries, not an alcoholic drink.
The dessert version serves 4:
- 1 can (about 850 g / 30 oz) fruit cocktail, drained, with the syrup kept
- 200 g (7 oz) nata de coco, drained
- 100 g (3.5 oz) kaong (sugar palm fruit), drained (optional)
- 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) all-purpose cream
- 120 ml (4 fl oz) sweetened condensed milk
Mix the cream and condensed milk in a bowl. Fold in the fruit cocktail, nata de coco, and kaong, then chill the dessert for 1 hour before serving.
The drink version serves 1: put 60 g (2.1 oz) of drained fruit cocktail and 45 g (1.6 oz) of nata de coco in a glass with ice, then add 60 ml (2 fl oz) of the fruit-cocktail syrup and 120 ml (4 fl oz) of soda water.
Is A Fruit Cocktail Drink The Same As A Fruit Cocktail Dessert?
No, a fruit cocktail drink and a fruit cocktail dessert use the same fruit and nata de coco but differ in texture and ingredients. The dessert contains cream and condensed milk and is eaten with a spoon, while the drink uses the fruit syrup and soda, contains no dairy, and is served with a wide straw.
How Do You Make A Spiked Nata De Coco Cocktail?
You make a spiked nata de coco cocktail by adding 30–45 ml (1–1.5 fl oz) of a spirit to any mocktail above. This version is for adults of legal drinking age in markets where alcohol is permitted; every recipe in this guide works without it.
| Mocktail | Spirit that fits | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin piña colada | White rum | 45 ml (1.5 fl oz) |
| Pineapple coconut cooler | Coconut rum | 45 ml (1.5 fl oz) |
| Tropical breeze | Vodka | 30 ml (1 fl oz) |
| Lychee coconut fizz | Vodka or gin | 30 ml (1 fl oz) |
Add the spirit to the shaker or blender with the juice base, and keep the nata de coco in the glass as usual.
How Do You Keep Nata De Coco Firm In Mixed Drinks?
You keep nata de coco firm in mixed drinks by keeping the cubes cold, adding them last, stirring instead of blending, and storing an opened pack in its own syrup in the fridge. Nata de coco holds its shape in cold, acidic, and fizzy drinks, so lime juice and soda do not soften it.
Stir, don’t blend. A blender blade shreds the cubes into small fibers, so blended drinks such as piña colada get the cubes stirred in after blending.
Keep an opened pack covered and refrigerated, and use it by the date on the pack label.
How Do Bars And Cafés Batch Nata De Coco Mocktails?
Bars and cafés batch nata de coco mocktails by portioning 45–60 g (1.6–2.1 oz) of nata de coco per 300–400 ml (10–13.5 fl oz) drink, mixing the juice base in bottles before service, and keeping the cubes in their packing syrup until each order. Staff drain one portion into the glass, pour the pre-mixed base, and top the drink with soda, so each mocktail takes under 1 minute to serve.
| Pack format | Weight | Drinks per pack |
|---|---|---|
| Nata de coco jar | 3 kg (6.6 lb) | 50–65 |
| Nata de coco bag | 10 kg (22 lb) | 165–220 |
Which Ready-To-Drink Nata De Coco Drinks Work As A Mocktail Base?
A ready-to-drink juice with nata de coco works as a finished mocktail base: pour 200 ml (6.8 fl oz) over ice, add 60 ml (2 fl oz) of soda water and a squeeze of lime, and the drink is ready in 1 minute. Nico makes these drinks under 2 brands, Nico Nico and Zuni Zuni, both with 15% nata de coco and not-from-concentrate (NFC) juice. Coconut, lychee, mango, passion fruit, and pineapple flavors match the mocktails in this guide.
| Brand | Formula | Pack sizes | Markets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nico Nico juice drink with nata de coco | 30% NFC juice + 15% nata de coco | 320 ml (10.8 fl oz) PET, 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) PET | All export markets except the USA, Mexico, Brazil, the Arabic-speaking Middle East, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Korea |
| Zuni Zuni juice drink with nata de coco | 30% NFC juice + 15% nata de coco (250 ml, 320 ml); 55% NFC juice + 15% nata de coco (490 ml, 500 ml) | 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) can, 320 ml (10.8 fl oz) PET, 490 ml (16.6 fl oz) can, 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) PET | USA, Mexico, Brazil, the Arabic-speaking Middle East, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Korea |
Importers, distributors, and retail chains can request samples and export terms from the Nico team.
Related Questions
Does Nata De Coco Contain Alcohol?
No, plain nata de coco is sold as a non-alcoholic food. Producers ferment coconut water with Komagataeibacter xylinus, an acetic acid bacterium that turns sugar into cellulose, then wash the cubes and pack them in sugar syrup. A nata de coco cocktail contains alcohol only when you add a spirit to it.
Can You Put Nata De Coco In A Blender?
You can blend the drink, but you should not blend the nata de coco. The blade shreds the cubes into fibers, so you blend the base first and stir the cubes in afterward.
Which Other Drinks Use Nata De Coco?
Nata de coco also works in fruit juices, bubble tea, iced tea, and coconut water drinks. For a single-flavor recipe with exact ratios, see lychee juice with nata de coco.
When Should You Leave Nata De Coco Out Of A Cocktail?
You should leave nata de coco out of a cocktail when the drink is hot, spirit-forward, served without ice, or sipped through a thin straw. Hot drinks such as mulled punch warm the cubes, so the cold, springy contrast disappears. Stirred, spirit-forward cocktails such as a martini or an old fashioned rely on a clear, smooth texture that chewy cubes interrupt. Drinks served straight up in a coupe have no ice to keep the cubes cold, and thin straws cannot pass 10 mm (0.4 in) cubes. Every other chilled, fruity, or fizzy drink gains texture from 45 g (1.6 oz) of nata de coco per glass.
