Coco Lopez
Encyclopedia
Coco López is a Puerto Rican
coconut
product which is used in many popular drink
s.
"Coco López" was invented by Ramón López Irizarry
, who was an agricultural professor for the University of Puerto Rico
. With funds from the government, he worked on his idea inside a small laboratory
that he owned. He discovered that by mixing sugarcane
sugar with coconut cream
, he could prepare the beverage.
Irizarry left the university and commercialized his product, which eventually found its way into the island's supermarkets.
Coco López was the base for the invention of the tropical drink, piña colada
. Initially, most piña coladas (pineapple mixed with coconuts) used Coco López to bring out the coconut flavor. Nowadays, various other coconut drinks are also used when making piña coladas.
Coco López is sold in fifty countries on several continents. It was marketed for years in the United States via a television commercial showing a man wearing a tuxedo mixing piña coladas with the product, and the final shot of the commercial showing that he has a giant can of Coco López for a head.
The Coco López brand expanded to include mixed flavors including "Coco López Bloody Mary
", "Coco López lemonade
", "Coco López mango
", "Coco López Margarita
", "Coco López Purple Passion", "Coco López rum runners", and "Coco López strawberry
".
Although Coco López’s packaging describes it as a “cream of coconut”, it should not be used for coconut cream
in Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines, as Coco López is sweetened for inclusion in piña coladas.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
product which is used in many popular drink
Drink
A drink, or beverage, is a liquid which is specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to fulfilling a basic human need, beverages form part of the culture of human society.-Water:...
s.
"Coco López" was invented by Ramón López Irizarry
Ramon Lopez Irizarry
Ramón Lopez-Irizarry was an educator and scientist who invented an easier way to extract the cream from the coconut pulp and developed the original formula of Coco López.-Early years:...
, who was an agricultural professor for the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
. With funds from the government, he worked on his idea inside a small laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
that he owned. He discovered that by mixing sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
sugar with coconut cream
Coconut cream
Coconut cream is very similar to coconut milk but contains less water. The difference is mainly consistency. It has a thicker, more paste-like consistency, while coconut milk is generally a liquid...
, he could prepare the beverage.
Irizarry left the university and commercialized his product, which eventually found its way into the island's supermarkets.
Coco López was the base for the invention of the tropical drink, piña colada
Piña Colada
The piña colada is a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge or a maraschino cherry or both...
. Initially, most piña coladas (pineapple mixed with coconuts) used Coco López to bring out the coconut flavor. Nowadays, various other coconut drinks are also used when making piña coladas.
Coco López is sold in fifty countries on several continents. It was marketed for years in the United States via a television commercial showing a man wearing a tuxedo mixing piña coladas with the product, and the final shot of the commercial showing that he has a giant can of Coco López for a head.
The Coco López brand expanded to include mixed flavors including "Coco López Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary (cocktail)
A Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Peri-Peri Sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt...
", "Coco López lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
", "Coco López mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
", "Coco López Margarita
Margarita
The margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with orange-flavoured liqueur and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States...
", "Coco López Purple Passion", "Coco López rum runners", and "Coco López strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
".
Although Coco López’s packaging describes it as a “cream of coconut”, it should not be used for coconut cream
Coconut cream
Coconut cream is very similar to coconut milk but contains less water. The difference is mainly consistency. It has a thicker, more paste-like consistency, while coconut milk is generally a liquid...
in Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines, as Coco López is sweetened for inclusion in piña coladas.
See also
- Coco RicoCoco RicoCoco Rico is a Puerto Rican soda brand. It is made of coconut, and produced in both plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Coco Rico comes in various flavors.- History :...
- Cuisine of Puerto RicoCuisine of Puerto RicoPuerto Rican cuisine has its roots in the cooking traditions and practices of Europe , Africa and the Amerindian Taínos. In the latter part of the 19th century the cuisine of Puerto Rico was greatly influenced by the United States in the ingredients used in its preparation...
- List of famous Puerto Ricans