The Bushwacker drink is like a mashup of a chocolate milkshake and piña colada! This boozy frozen cocktail stars Kahlua and creme de cacao.
Here’s a frozen cocktail that will blow your mind with its creamy, chocolaty flavor: the Bushwacker drink! It’s equal parts refreshing and rich—like a mashup of a chocolate milkshake and piña colada.
The Bushwacker is lusciously smooth with notes of chocolate, coffee and vanilla. It’s perfect for sipping poolside as a summer cocktail, or as a dessert drink any time you’re dreaming of sun. As two cocktail experts, this is one sweet cocktail we have a soft spot for!
Bushwacker cocktail ingredients
The Bushwacker is a frozen cocktail made with rum, Kahlua, creme de cacao, cream of coconut, and milk, known for its creamy texture, sweet flavor, and boozy kick. Invented in the 1970’s in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, it has since become popular in Florida and the American South.
What’s in a Bushwacker? This frozen boozy milkshake relies on these ingredients blended to perfection (along with ice):
- Rum: Dark rum is common in a Bushwacker, but you can use aged or white rum. We like aged rum (golden or añejo) for its subtle notes of vanilla, coconut, and caramel.
- Kahlua: Kahlua is a coffee liqueur made in Mexico. You can use other types of coffee liqueur like Tia Maria.
- Creme de cacao: Creme de cacao is a chocolate liqueur, available in both white and dark varieties. The original Bushwacker had dark creme de cacao, but white is easier to find and what we call for here.
- Cream of coconut: This is a sweetened syrup for drinks, made with coconut cream and sugar and sold in squeeze bottles at liquor stores (or online). Make sure to buy cream of coconut, a sweetened syrup for drinks—not coconut cream, which is an entirely different product.
- Milk: Any type of milk works here, like 2%, whole, or non-dairy milks like oat milk or almond milk.
Tip: If you accidentally buy coconut cream, you can still save your Bushwhacker! Use 1 oz coconut cream and 1 oz simple syrup in place of the 2 oz cream of coconut.
The story behind the name?
The Bushwacker was invented at the Ship’s Store Pub in St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in 1975 as a tropical spin on the White Russian by bartender Angie Conigliaro and manager Tom Brokamp. Apparently they named it after a guest’s dog, an Afghan hound named Bushwack!
Tips for making a Bushwacker drink
Once you’ve got your specialty liquors, mixing up the Bushwacker drink is a breeze! Here’s what to do (or scroll down to the full recipe):
- Place 2 ounces (¼ cup) of all liquid ingredients into a blender. Add 3 cups ice and blend.
- Pour into a glass and garnish with a straw. Garnish with a maraschino cherry for a classic presentation. The drink tends to separate, which is normal: just stir it up with your straw while drinking!
- It’s easily made dairy-free: There’s no dairy in any of the liqueurs in a Bushwacker drink, so it’s easy to convert it into a dairy free or vegan cocktail using oat milk.
Frequently asked questions
The dominant flavors are chocolate and coconut, with hints of coffee and rum. The creaminess adds a luxurious mouthfeel, and the overall taste is sweet and refreshing. It’s not a strong drink, but there’s enough alcohol that it should be enjoyed responsibly.
While both are creamy and tropical, a Piña Colada features rum, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut. The Bushwacker adds coffee liqueur, dark crème de cacao, and skips the pineapple juice, resulting in a more chocolatey and coffee-forward flavor.
Dark rum is the traditional choice, offering a deeper flavor compared to lighter rums. You can also aged rum (anejo) with great results. White rum works but has a more straightforward flavor.
Creme de cacao is a chocolate liqueur. It’s possibly one of the first alcoholic beverages, made in the 1600’s by monks after cocoa beans were brought back to Europe from America (source).
Use it to make creme de cacao drinks like the Brandy Alexander, Chocolate Martini, or Grasshopper.
Cream of coconut is a sweetened syrup for drinks, made with coconut cream and sugar. You can use up leftovers in coconut cocktails like the Piña Colada, Chi Chi, Painkiller, or Coconut Martini.
Coconut cream is unsweetened, very thick, and has a strong coconut flavor. It’s typically sold in cans next to the coconut milk.
Read more at Cream of Coconut vs Coconut Cream.
There are many Kahlua drinks! Try it in a Mudslide, Espresso Martini, B-52, Kahlua Coffee, Mind Eraser, Colorado Bulldog, Black Russian or White Russian.
Classic Bushwacker
Print RecipeThe Bushwacker drink is like a mashup of a chocolate milkshake and piña colada! This boozy frozen cocktail stars Kahlua and creme de cacao.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 drinks
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (¼ cup) aged, white or dark rum*
- 2 ounces Kahlua
- 2 ounces creme de cacao (white or dark; we used white)
- 2 ounces cream of coconut
- 2 ounces 2% milk
- 3 cups ice
- For the garnish: Shaved chocolate or grated nutmeg, cocktail cherry (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Garnish with shaved chocolate or grated nutmeg, if desired. Add straws and serve. (You can stir with the straw when the drink starts to separate.)
Notes
*We like using aged rum in this drink, since it brings oak and vanilla undertones. But either white or dark rum work as well.
More sweet & frozen drinks
The Bushwacker is one in a family of sweet cocktails and frozen alcoholic drinks. Here are a few related drinks you might enjoy:
- The Pina Colada, Painkiller and Chi Chi are variations using pineapple juice and cream of coconut.
- The best Strawberry Daiquiri is homemade, made from frozen strawberries!
- This Frozen Margarita is the icy version of everyone’s favorite, the margarita.
- Try a Frozen Mojito for a minty frozen version of the Mojito.
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