Malibu Sunset — A fun, fruity, easy Malibu drink recipe!! Because there’s really no wrong way to do pineapple, orange juice, coconut rum, grenadine, and cherries. If you’ve never had this fruity alcoholic drink before, you should change that!!
Table of Contents
If you’ve never had this fruity Malibu drink, you really should change that. Someone will say they don’t like coconut, but I don’t think it tastes ridiculously coconutty. Coconut Malibu tastes like what a tropical vacation would taste like!
Technically this fruity drink is traditionally made with a splash of cranberry, but I didn’t have any and wasn’t going to buy any for a splash. Just use more grenadine. Scratch that. More Malibu.
Holy moly this sweet and fruity drink goes down way too easily in the heat and humidity. It’s perfect for spring and summer weather and summer holidays!
This Malibu drink is fruity and sweet without being over-the-top like some fruity alcoholic drinks can be, and it’s so refreshing. I love pineapple juice and it’s a perfect pairing with coconut rum. Cheers!
Malibu Sunset Ingredients
Wondering what to mix with Malibu? Here’s what I suggest for making this coconut rum drink:
- Ice cubes
- Pineapple-orange juice
- Malibu coconut rum
- Grenadine
- Maraschino cherries
- Pineapple and / or orange slices (for garnishing)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make a Malibu Sunset
This sweet alcoholic drink couldn’t be simpler to make! Here are the basic steps to making my go-to Malibu sunset cocktail:
- Add ice to a glass, followed by the juice and Malibu.
- Then, give it a good stir.
- Drizzle in the grenadine (use however much you’d like!) and garnish with cherries, pineapple, and orange slices. Do NOT stir the cocktail at this point — you want the grenadine to sink to the bottom and form the layers.
Adjusting the Flavor of This Malibu Drink
For a sweeter Malibu drink, use more grenadine. For a less sweet beverage, use less.
Or, use some unsweetened cranberry juice and add a splash of that to brighten up the flavor of this rum mixed drink without adding any sweetness.
Cocktail FAQs
Yes. It’s a 1:2 ratio of pineapple-orange juice and Malibu rum, so you can easily scale up from there. If making a large batch Malibu sunset, you may want to omit the ice and instead pour the rum mixed drink over ice. This way, your cocktail doesn’t get watered down as it sits there.
If you can’t find a pineapple-orange juice blend at your local grocery store, you’re welcome to buy them separately and combine them in this Malibu drink. Equal parts orange and pineapple juice should work, but play around with the ratios to find a combination you love.
A few readers have asked about using either all pineapple or all orange juice due to allergies or because they simply ran out of one. You’re welcome to use just one kind of juice in this rum mixed drink, but I highly recommend using a blend of juices for the best, fruitiest tropical flavor.
No! Be careful not to stir the tropical drink after you’ve added the grenadine as it’s meant to settle on the bottom of the glass!
We randomly bought a Malibu from duty-free and made this at a small birthday get together. It was so simple to do and such a huge smashing hit!
Karishma K
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Malibu Sunset
Ingredients
- ice cubes
- 3 to 4 ounces pineapple-orange juice, I use a blend rather than purchasing separate juices
- 2 ounces Malibu Coconut Rum
- grenadine, drizzled
- maraschino cherries, for garnishing
- pineapple and/or orange slices, for garnishing
Instructions
- Add ice to glass.
- Add juice, Malibu, and stir.
- Drizzle in grenadine.
- Garnish with cherries, pineapple, and/or orange slices.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Drink is intended for those whom alcohol consumption is appropriate. Always drink responsibly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Fruity Alcoholic Drinks:
Rum Runner — A fruity and tropical cocktail, but not in a strawberry daiquiri doesn’t-do-much kind of way. This delicious Rum Runner recipe (complete with my secret ingredient!) packs a punch that can sneak up on you!
Mango Coconut Water Tropical Martini — A fresh and refreshing drink made with Mango Passion Fruit vodka, coconut water, and pineapple juice that’s not only tasty, but it’s also lighter in calories so you don’t have to sacrifice.
Tequila Sunrise — Not only is it pretty to look at, but a tequila sunrise is also refreshing, nostalgic, and the grenadine sweetens it up enough that you may not even notice it packs quite a punch!
Tropical Strawberry Lemonade Party Punch — This tropical alcoholic punch is one of my all-time favorite party drinks! Feel free to leave the alcohol out if desired. This punch tastes delicious even without it!
Kiss on the Lips Cocktail — This frozen drink is quick and easy, fruity, tropical-tasting, and the colors are so fun. It goes down way too easily and would be extra refreshing on hot summer days.
Homemade Margaritas— How to make a margarita with just three natural ingredients! Nothing fake, neon green, and no sugary chemicals. This is the best homemade margarita recipe I’ve tried and it’s the easiest!!
Grilled Pineapple Strawberry Lemonade Sangria — This is the perfect thirst quencher and it goes down very easily. Grilling brings out the natural sugars in the pineapple in a wonderfully sweet way that works so well in the sangria.
Cosmopolitan Cocktail — This classic Cosmopolitan recipe is made with vodka, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and cranberry juice. It’s flirty and flavorful yet refined and simple.
Pomegranate Mojito – Everyone will love this fruity twist on a classic mojito recipe! The tart pomegranates and lime blend beautifully and are paired with simple syrup, mint, and white rum for a refreshing cocktail that’s perfect all year long!
Republished August 31, 2018 and May 22, 2020
Those beachy shots are like food for my soul, Averie! Thanks for giving me a little taste of tropical life :) Can’t wait to try my own Malibu Sunset!
Just so you know, I’m terribly jealous of the beach views ;-) And I still need to make that coconut water pink beauty!
You would LOVE it here!
Ohhh man am I craving a beach right now!!!! And coconut rum…
This is gorgeous Averie!!!
Wow, amazing! And the bright colors really make it more appetizing! I could definitely use one now!
Such a beautiful drink! Glad you are having a wonderful time in Aruba!!
Aruba looks beautiful! I could live on that beach
Me too. They’re not building on it anymore and so anything that’s there, is grandfathered in!
Gorgeous color on this!
Aruba definitely looks like paradise! I feel more relaxed just looking at the pics. I’m all for any drink with coconut rum – it’s delish!
When I’m stressing just randomly in life, I pull up my Palm Beach pics and just stare. A few mins later, I really do feel calmer :)
You are making me crave a tropical vacation like crazy right now!! haha but since that’s not happening, I’m just going to go make a few of these drinks and enjoy them in my pajamas …. while dreaming of vacation : ) Hope you’re having a great time in Aruba!
Enjoying coconut rum in PJs is totally the best sounding start to the day ever :)
Hope your having fun… this drink is on my list for this weekend!
Enjoy! LMK if you make it!
If I’m going to drink anything containing alcohol, I like either sweet and fruity or sweet and creamy! This looks so bright and colorful–the tropics in a glass. I don’t think I’ve had coconut rum before but I’m a coconut lover and up for trying it.
Either sweet and fruity or sweet and creamy = we could be each other’s mixologists :) You’ll love Malibu. You have to try it! It’s what’s in a pina colada (or should be!)
Those cherries, the colors! Is it weird that it makes me want one at 6 in the morning?
When I see drinks on blogs that look good, the time of day never stops me from wanting one :)
Yum! I love Malibu, but I usually just mix it with Diet Coke. This looks so, so much better, especially with that cherry on top.
I like to bring out that tropical vibe and use citrus (pineapple, orange) and then cherries are a must :)
It was so interesting to hop over to your blog and see a cocktail named “Malibu Sunset” after reading a story about Paul Dano starring as Brian Wilson in “Love & Mercy”, a Beach Boys bio pic, that just recently started filming in Malibu. Now, your smashing cocktail is going to make me think of The Beach Boys! Thanks for sharing, Averie. And, have fun while in Aruba!
What serendipitous timing! Sometimes when I see things like that, then I’ll see similar themes everywhere…lately it’s been burrata cheese. Every blog I go to, there’s burrata. Like 6 in the past 2 weeks or so!
There is something about coconut that transports you to a place were Hawaiian shirts and fake grass skirts that totally wearable. Love the grading colour of this drink so pretty!
I really wanted to be able to do a pour shot, with the grenadine just dripping thru the liquid, and dispersing and just sort of suspending but you need a tripod, a free set of hands, lots of out-takes, and potentially wasted drinks, so I went with just the ‘settling’ on the bottom :)
This drink will definitely make me feel like I’m on a beach.