cool it with a lava flow
Recipe: lava flow
Everything seems to be converging on August: visitors, good-byes, workshops (!!), travel, work. Instead of freaking out, I’m in that state of quiet panic while I watch everything fly past me in this surreal slow motion. Maybe it’s my allergy meds? But my allergy medications are good to me because I could stand in a field of hip-deep weeds without sneezing my brains out to get a shot of this the other day:
double rainbow in stormy weather, baby
the primary was super bright
After a spate of several hot and cloudless days, that storm and the cool air it brought was more than welcome. It’s my favorite way to escape the heat in mountain summer since we don’t have air conditioning and we can’t really work in the basement. I find it helps tremendously to drink a glass of ice water. It is my favorite beverage in summer and keeps me on an even keel. But once or twice each summer I will make lava flows to cool down.
i’m really all about the ice
…and fruit
What is a lava flow? It’s just piña colada and strawberry dacquiri, but I love it because it’s fruity and cold. I also dig anything that refers to a geologic phenomenon that is totally amazing to witness. Here’s some lava from 2005 (the Big Island of Hawai’i)…
ocean entry
cream of coconut and pineapple for the piña colada part
the ice is critical
As has been declared by so many of my friends, I am a cheap date. So when I make lava flows at home, I usually prepare a virgin lava flow (no booze) for myself and then mix the rum into the remainder for Jeremy and any guests. It’s hard to do it the other way around, see?
making the strawberry dacquiri
pour over the piña colada
When I have had the lava flow at restaurants, they looked more lava flow-ish because they were super slushy and thick. Super slushy is great, except it’s hard to drink without a spoon. I tend to make mine slushy enough to be cold, but not so slushy that you can’t sip it from your glass. I mean, no one enjoys tipping a glass back and having the entire icy slush come smashing into your face. However, it helps to make sure that the density of the piña colada is greater than that of the strawberry dacquiri, otherwise your “lava” will tunnel into the piña colada and that’s a different phenomenon (resulting in lava tubes – from the lava, not the strawberry dacquiri).
garnish with fresh fruit
keep it cool
Lava Flow
[print recipe]
piña colada
1/2 cup ice
2 oz. rum (optional)
2 tbsps cream of coconut
1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple
Place everything (for the piña colada) in a blender and blend until the ice is slushy. Fill half of two glasses.
strawberry dacquiri
1/2 cup ice
1 1/2 oz. rum (optional)
1/2 oz. strawberry liqueur (optional)
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
Place the strawberry dacquiri ingredients in a blender and blend until slushy. Pour over the half-filled glasses.
Serve with fruit garnish. Makes 2 lava flows.
July 28th, 2011 at 2:53 am
I request these to be made at F & L please!!!! :)
With these, and coffee, and my 5D and you, Todd, and Diane, my life will be complete.
Beautiful rainbow!
July 28th, 2011 at 6:06 am
Oh Jen, I loved seeing this recipe and the photos! During our honeymoon to Hawaii two years ago, all I drank were lava flows and I miss them terribly!
We also got to see the “lava flow” into the ocean when we visited the Big Island, so that only made this drink even more special to me! Thanks for sharing the recipe! :)
July 28th, 2011 at 6:33 am
Yes, yes, yes. YES.
July 28th, 2011 at 7:14 am
R E F R E S H I N G. Sounds so, and looks it, too!
July 28th, 2011 at 7:21 am
I’m not a drinker, but that looks delicious. Maybe I’ll do the virgin for myself and boozed up for my friends as you do. Hmm…
July 28th, 2011 at 7:24 am
Great recipe and so pretty. Thanks.
July 28th, 2011 at 8:37 am
What an awesome drink idea. Two of my favorite drinks wrapped up in one super cute package. Thanks for sharing! I love those rainbow and lava shots too.
July 28th, 2011 at 9:11 am
Wow, those are cool looking the way they are layered. Sounds yummy too!
July 28th, 2011 at 9:20 am
I made this using strawberry dacquiri and piña colada mixes and they’re also called Miami Vice. Delicious!!! Someday I’ll try this recipe.
July 28th, 2011 at 9:27 am
C’mon! Where’s the little umbrella?
These are too sit-on-the-porch-watching-the-sunset-over-the-water for words.
July 28th, 2011 at 9:46 am
Mmm… coconut… I swear I will enjoy anything that’s got coconut in it. I love it. Except for Vita Coco coconut water, which tastes like what I’d imagine diapers to be.
July 28th, 2011 at 11:54 am
Oh, I could make a virgin version of this too! I’ve never heard of them being combined, but it makes sense and sounds so awesome. I have some frozen pineapple and strawberries that could replace the ice. YUM! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
July 28th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
This would be a great special occasion drink for kids (without the booze, of course!) I’ll definitely try this when T is older, and less suspicious of anything that isn’t water or soy milk ;)
July 28th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Squee! I’m leaving for Hawaii (via Victoria) tonight and this post was just the thing to put me in the mood!
July 28th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Wow, this brings back some memories! When we went on a cruise about 10 years ago I drank this (I think that’s when it was) and it was my favorite drink. For whatever reason I haven’t had it since. It looks beautiful and about as refreshing as a drink can be! Yum!! I don’t think they were called Lava Flows, but I love the name and that’s what I will call them now! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
July 29th, 2011 at 4:02 am
oooo la la….this looks tasty indeed!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
July 29th, 2011 at 9:08 am
Oh my, I mean who doesn’t want to drink something called a lava flow and besides, it’s got so much yummy fruit in it! yes please! If the drink recipe weren’t enticing enough, thank you SO much for the absolutely wonderful picture of the rainbow… you’ve made my day.
July 29th, 2011 at 10:16 am
I’m going to try that this weekend! It looks perfect for a long summer weekend!!!
July 30th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Beautiful and yummy! And so nice that you use real fruit in them too. So many frozen drinks just taste “fake”.
August 9th, 2011 at 10:01 am
Melissa – wow, I never had one while I was in Hawai’i! I guess that means I’ll just have to go back? ;) Ocean entry lava is THE BEST!
Bing Chou – worth a try :) It’s super refreshing on a hot day (and it has been HOT in Boulder…)
Russell – thanks!
Karen – Miami Vice? Ha ha! That’s hilarious, although it does harken back to the Don Johnson days (*shudder*) ;)
Tamar – I know! I know! I don’t have a proper stash of umbrellas. Maybe we’re just waiting for you to arrive with the umbrellas?
Allie – ha ha ha!!
Memoria – mmmm, it’s just as good without booze in my opinion. It’s all about the FRUIT!
Alyson – hope you had an awesome visit.
angelitacarmelita – awww, thanks :)
Rocky Mountain Woman – sooo nice to relieve the heat!
Lady Amalthea – I know what you mean. I hate those “fake” mixes. Blegh!
July 2nd, 2012 at 2:19 pm
I’d say you nailed it.
August 1st, 2014 at 3:55 pm
[…] If you’re interested in seeing a step-by-step version and a slightly different recipe, check out Use Real Butter’s post here. […]
September 8th, 2021 at 11:21 pm
just wondering which rum you use – malibu (which I use in my Pina coladas) or another type??? Ellie
September 9th, 2021 at 9:34 am
Ellie – I think you can use just about any plain rum you like. The coconut flavored rum is probably fine for the piña colada part.