Instructions for the drink are buried in the original script—and it is consumed with gusto in the great film. (photo by Gillian G. Gaar for Wine and Whiskey Globe)

One of the many things that caught my attention during my annual viewing of the delightful film version of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana (available on DVD and a variety of streaming services) was the eagerness of hotel owner Maxine (described in Williams’ script as a “rapaciously lusty” woman, and played with good humor by Ava Gardner) to brighten everyone’s day with a complimentary rum-coco. It’s evidently a potent drink; when she offers one to the disheveled, defrocked minister Larry Shannon (Richard Burton), he begs off: “No, no. I want a cold beer. If I start drinking rum-cocos now I won’t stop drinking rum-cocos.”

It’s a minor moment in the drama. Most of the story concerns Shannon’s struggle to recover his mental equilibrium, having sought refuge at Maxine’s run down hotel on the Mexican coast. But I kept wondering: What’s a rum-coco? An internet search turned up no answers, so I concluded Williams had made up the name, aiming for something that sounded tropical. Since it was fictitious, I was still left to wonder: What might a rum-coco taste like? The answer was obvious. To find out, I would have create one myself.

The basic ingredients seemed clear: rum and coconut. Not having a machete handy to crack open coconuts myself, I purchased a variety of different coconut waters. My first variations used Vita Coco Pressed (coconut water, coconut puree) and Taste Nirvana (coconut water, coconut pulp, and “coconut essence”). Using two rums was essential; a good rum drink always has more than one. And lime juice? Of course. I came up with three examples, before researching further. Instructions are the same for each.

Traditional Rum-Coco

1 oz. light rum

3 oz. coconut water

Squirt of fresh lime

1 oz. dark rum float

Combine first three ingredients over ice; gently pour in dark rum float.

Vita Coco Pressed produced a more robust, nuttier flavored drink; Taste Nirvana had a smooth texture and taste. But still not having found my perfect coconut water (maybe it’s an acquired taste), I next made a more conventional, American-style cocktail, using coconut-flavored rum to provide the “coco.” Since coconut rum is already quite sweet, I opted for seltzer water as a mixer. The result was crisp and refreshing.

Kokomo Rum-Coco

1 oz. coconut rum

3 oz. club soda

Squirt of fresh lime

1 oz. dark rum float

Now I was ready to take it one step beyond. Simple Truth’s Unsweetened Coconutmilk would provide the base for the next round. This made for a wonderfully smooth drink, conjuring up visions of sunsets at Waikiki beach front lounges. For the ultimate in tropical bliss, use coconut rum instead of light rum.

Coco-Loco Paradise Rum-Coco 

1 oz. light rum or coconut rum

3 oz. coconut milk (can do 2 oz. coconut milk and 1 oz. of soda water for a bit of fizz)

Squirt of fresh lime

1 oz. dark rum float

I ventured further. On reading the script for the stage version of The Night of the Iguana, I learned that Williams had indeed suggested a recipe for the rum-coco, in dialogue that had been cut from the film. Shannon describes it as “a drink that is prepared in a coconut shell by chopping off one end of it with a machete and mixing the juice of the nut with variable quantities of rum, a bit of lemon juice, a bit of sugar, and some cracked ice. You stick straws in the lopped-off end of the coconut and it’s a long dreamy drink, the most delectable summer night’s drink I’ve ever enjoyed….”

So, I’d got it about right, except for the lemon and sugar. I followed his recipe for the next batch, using Simple Truth Organic’s Coconut Water and making one drink with light rum, the other with coconut rum. Lemon produces a less tart result than lime, and sugar definitely makes the light rum drink more “dreamy.”

Tennessee’s Original Rum-Coco

1 oz. light rum or coconut rum

3 oz. coconut water

Half-teaspoon of sugar if using light rum

Squirt of fresh lemon

1 oz. dark rum float

Of course, absolute authenticity won’t be achieved until I can use fresh-from-the-nut coconut water. Until then, I like to think that Williams himself would be bemused at my efforts—and accept my offer to join me for a drink.