Average
Creamy, Sweet & Tropical
3 Minutes
Cocktail Glass
Ingredients
The Volcano is a blended vodka cocktail. Or, to put it another way, a spiked tropical dessert in a glass.
Vodka, cream of coconut, vanilla ice cream and almond liqueur, blended into something thick, smooth and impossible to categorize neatly as either cocktail or dessert.
Served in a milkshake glass with a fresh cherry on top, and best enjoyed after dinner or under the sun, the Volcano is tropical decadence done properly.
HOW TO MAKE A volcano COCKTAIL
Bar tools you’ll need
Jigger
Blender
How to Mix
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Fill a blender with ice cubes.
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Use a jigger (or measuring instrument) to measure and pour Absolut Vodka into the blender.
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Measure and add Almond Liqueur.
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Measure and add Cream of Coconut.
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Use an ice cream scoop to measure a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.
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Blend on high until the mixture reaches a thick, smooth, milkshake-like consistency.
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Pour directly into a pre-chilled cocktail glass.
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Garnish with a Fresh Cherry placed directly on top.
All about the Volcano Cocktail
The Volcano is a blended cocktail. Think of it as a close relative of the Chi Chi cocktail, which blends vodka, cream of coconut and pineapple juice into a similarly tropical, creamy serve.
The Volcano takes that same spirit and pushes it further into dessert territory, swapping pineapple juice for vanilla ice cream and adding almond liqueur for a warm, nutty depth.
Served in a milkshake glass with a fresh cherry on top, is it dessert or is it a cocktail? It’s both.
The Volcano tastes like tropical heaven – sweet, rich and creamy. The cream of coconut brings a lush, tropical sweetness that leads the flavor profile, while the vanilla ice cream adds a smooth, creamy base that makes it feel indulgent.
The almond liqueur contributes a warm, marzipan-like nuttiness that cuts through the sweetness just enough to keep things balanced, while the vodka elevates everything.
The Volcano doesn’t have a definitive origin story, but its roots are easy to trace. It belongs to the same family of blended, creamy tropical cocktails as the Chi Chi and the Piña Colada, which proved in the 1950s that coconut and spirits were a natural pairing.
The addition of vanilla ice cream is what sets the Volcano apart, taking it into dessert cocktail territory and giving it that thick, milkshake-like texture.
- Use cream of coconut
Not coconut milk, not coconut cream – cream of coconut. While they’re all made with coconut, they’re vastly different. Cream of coconut is specifically sweetened and thickened for use in cocktails and desserts, making it far richer and more flavorful than its unsweetened counterparts. - Full fat ice cream
Use a good quality full-fat vanilla ice cream for the best results. The better the ice cream, the better the drink. - Blend until completely smooth
Add all the ingredients to the blender with a generous handful of ice and blend until completely smooth with no lumps. A good 30-45 seconds should do it. The consistency should be thick enough to hold its shape in the glass but still pourable. - Pre-chill your glassware
Place your glassware in the freezer for approx. 30 minutes before making this drink. Sipping a coconut-flavored cocktail from a ice-cold cocktail glass just adds to the experience.
- Volcano with light rum
Swap the vodka for light rum for a more traditional tiki-style drink. Think a Piña Colada made even more indulgent with the addition of ice cream and almond liqueur. - Volcano with Mango-Flavored Vodka
Take the Volcano to islands further away by swapping vodka for a mango-flavored vodka. Mango, coconut, almond and vanilla, all in one glass – it’s one of the most exotic cocktails you can make at home. - Volcano with Vanilla-Flavored Vodka
Take a moment to consider this: vanilla ice cream, cream of coconut, sweet almond liqueur and vanilla-flavored vodka. Rich, smooth and decadent, this is a drink for those who take their vanilla seriously.
- We recommend serving a Volcano in a pre-chilled cocktail glass, which kinda dresses up the drink’s casual tropical vibes. However, if you prefer to keep it casual, a milkshake glass is another great choice – it’s tall, wide and perfect for showing off the drink’s thick, creamy texture. Alternatively, a large rocks glass or hurricane glass like a Piña Colada also works well.
- A fresh cherry is the classic garnish – place it directly on top of the drink. If you’re looking for something more presentable, add a skewer of fresh cherries.
- The Volcano’s thick, creamy consistency calls for a straw – metal or paper, a small nod to the drink’s tiki inspiration.
Volcano Cocktail FAQ
Cream of coconut is a thick, sweet coconut product made specifically for use in cocktails and desserts, not to be confused with the unsweetened coconut cream commonly used in Asian cooking.
It’s sweeter and richer than both coconut cream and coconut milk and gives blended cocktails like the Volcano and Piña Colada their signature tropical flavor and texture.
The blender is what gives the Volcano its thick, smooth texture, so it’s difficult to replicate without one. That said, if you’re without a blender, you could shake all the ingredients vigorously with ice and strain into a glass, though the result will be thinner and less creamy than the original.
