The lava flow is a mixed frozen drink with strawberry, coconut, and pineapple tastes that will transport you to a sunny tropical paradise! Try a tequila sunrise or a pineapple cooler next time.

Consuming a Lava Flow transports me to our Hawaiian honeymoon. During our two-week visit, I drank far too many Mai Tais and Lava Flows.

I take a drink and am immediately taken to a beach cabana, the sounds of waves smashing on the coast, and the aroma of coconut sunscreen and wild hibiscus.

May I come again? At the moment. Please?

Fortunately, creating one is simple and only takes a few things for you to have your own tropical getaway.

Is a Lava Flow the same as a Miami Vice?

Quick, don’t you simply like cocktail names? Some of them are so absurd that it simply makes me happy.

So, a Lava Flow looks a lot like a Miami Vice, but they’re not the same thing.

A Miami Vice is essentially a Strawberry Daiquiri combined with a Pina Colada that has been split in the glass for display. A Lava Flow does not use lime juice and instead commonly includes banana (more on that later), thus it is similar to a Banana Daiquiri combined with a Pia Colada.

How do you make a lava flow?

You will need the following materials and equipment to create a lava flow:

• a food processor (aff link)
• strawberries that have been frozen
• mild rums and coconut
• coconut cream
• juice from pineapples
• ice

1. The drink will be made in two stages. To begin, combine strawberries with both rums and divide them equally between two glasses.
2. Next, rinse the blender (affiliate link), add the cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and use, and mix until smooth.
3. Pour the coconut mixture gently into the two glasses with strawberry puree, being careful to distribute it equally.

Then, since garnish is one of the finest parts of fruity, tropical beverages, garnish with a pineapple wedge or a strawberry and serve with a long straw!

After a minute or two, the mixture will become more swirly as it settles.

Wait… doesn’t a Lava Flow include banana?

Historically, yes. Yet, as someone who despises the taste of banana in her drinks (I’m like the princess and the pea of banana in beverages), I opt to eliminate it and compensate by altering the proportions of the other ingredients.

Making lava flow with banana

If you like the addition of banana but want to keep it traditional, here’s how to change the recipe:

• Decrease the coconut cream to 4 ounces, the pineapple juice to 4 ounces, and the crushed ice to 1 cup.
• During the second mix, add 1 tiny banana (with the cream of coconut and pineapple juice)

I confess that the outcome with banana is thicker and creamier, but I don’t believe you can lose!

Make your own cream of coconut

Oh no! You’re out of coconut cream? Don’t be concerned.

In a small saucepan, combine 2 cup granulated sugar and a sprinkle of salt and cook over low heat, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved. If you don’t have cream of coconut, mix 4 ounces coconut cream, 1 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Let to cool before transferring to a jar and chilling in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Don’t have coconut rum?

No worries. You may use ordinary spiced rum for the coconut rum, but use 3 ounces mild rum and 5 ounces cream of coconut instead.

How to make a virgin Lava Flow

If you want to make a non-alcoholic Lava Flow, just leave out the rum!

If you prefer any of the nonalcoholic rum substitutes on the market, just replace the alcoholic rum in the recipe with a 1:1 substitution.

What kind of glass should it be served in?

For the ultimate in tropical fruity cocktail pleasure, serve a lava flow in a hurricane glass!

But, the beer glasses shown here are tulip form, and you could also use a tall highball glass as long as it can accommodate 16 ounces.

Can you freeze frozen cocktails?

I like frozen alcoholic cocktails since they can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer for later! Just place them in a freezer-safe container, and when ready to serve, give them a fast mix before serving.