Frozen Kappa Colada Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 12/28/22
Frozen Kappa Colada Cocktail

Richard Jung / Photolibrary / Getty Images

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

When you switch from rum to brandy you turn the popular piña colada into a kappa colada. It's a wonderful change of pace and a brilliant way to enjoy brandy on hot summer days.

The kappa colada is one of the few frozen cocktails to use brandy. It works very well against the piña colada's pineapple and coconut flavor, adding a darker background to the bright tropical fruits.

This recipe does change up the ingredients a bit. It prefers the pineapple fruit over juice and splits the ice with vanilla ice cream. That gives it a fresher taste and creamier touch so the drink blends up to be both familiar and unique at the same time.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a blender, add the brandy, cream of coconut, pineapple, ice cream, and ice.

  3. Blend until smooth.

  4. Pour into a collins glass.

  5. Garnish with a pineapple chunk or maraschino cherry. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • Ice cubes are difficult to measure. Generally, 5 or 6 average-sized cubes can be constituted as 1 cup. For this recipe, use 3 ice cubes or measure out 1/2 cup of crushed ice.
  • Once blended, if the mix is too thick for your taste, add an extra splash of lime juice or cream of coconut. If it's too thin, add more ice or ice cream. After each addition, blend again.
  • The brandy doesn't have to be from your best bottle. A good mid-range brandy that you'd pour into a brandy Alexander will do just fine.
  • Cream of coconut is a sweetened, richer, and thicker version of coconut cream and the preferred ingredient for piña coladas. In frozen cocktails like this, however, either will work. Coconut milk is a great choice as well since this recipe adds ice cream.

Recipe Variation

  • Just like the piña colada, you can certainly skip the blender and shake up the kappa colada. Adjustments need to be made and it's best to simply substitute the brandy into the original piña colada recipe. In this version, shake 2 ounces each of brandy and pineapple juice and 1 1/2 ounces cream of coconut with ice. Strain it into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish.
  • If you want the best of both cocktails, split the rum and brandy into two equal pours. For instance, using the kappa colada recipe, pour 1 ounce of each liquor rather than 2 ounces of brandy.

How Strong Is a Kappa Colada?

The kappa colada is surprisingly strong for a frozen cocktail. It cuts the normal amount of ice in half and makes up for only a portion of that difference with the ice cream. This one should blend up to an alcohol content around 15 percent ABV (30 proof). It's twice the strength of the average blended drink, but still close to a glass of wine.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
689 Calories
36g Fat
61g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 689
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 36g 46%
Saturated Fat 30g 149%
Cholesterol 37mg 12%
Sodium 263mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 61g 22%
Dietary Fiber 10g 36%
Total Sugars 45g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 40mg 201%
Calcium 57mg 4%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 462mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)