Red Bull Coconut

Red Bull's Coconut is a flavored energy drink that this store lists in the mixer category. The brief gives no volume, ingredient list or flavor notes, so what follows is what to expect from a coconut-flavored, carbonated energy drink. It is not a measured profile of this can. Expect a sweet, fairly bright coconut flavor that reads closer to a tropical soda or candy-style coconut than to fresh coconut water, with the sharper edge of an energy-drink base underneath. The carbonation is lively, so it holds up well against spirits instead of going flat in the glass. Serve it cold. A can chilled in the fridge or poured over plenty of ice is the best way to drink it. Sweet, coconut-flavored drinks lose definition as they warm, and the flavor turns syrupy. Use a tall highball or Collins glass filled with fresh, hard ice, and pour slowly down the side of the glass to keep the fizz. As a mixer, it suits spirits that already pair with tropical flavors. White rum is the natural match, giving a simple long drink in roughly one part spirit to three or four parts mixer. Vodka makes a cleaner, sweeter highball, and blanco tequila works if you add a squeeze of lime to cut the sweetness. A lime or pineapple garnish brings acidity that balances the coconut. Because the mixer is already sweet, skip added syrups and liqueurs. Go easy on the pour, and taste before you add more. For food, keep it simple and savory. Salty snacks, grilled chicken or shrimp, and spicy dishes give the sweetness something to work against.