Following months of development, pioneering Sri Lankan street food restaurant group The Coconut Tree has relaunched its range of sweet and fiery cocktails (nicknamed ‘Cocotails’).
From 18 November, the chain will be rolling out the new menu across its eight branches in the south-west - the most recent site opened in Reading this summer.
Operations Director, Rashinthe Rodrigo said,“We pride ourselves on our warm Sri Lankan hospitality, so with our new Cocotail menu, we’ve made a real effort to include options for every preference.
'We’ve made the most of our distillery contacts in Sri Lanka to include Premium Coconut Arrack and Colombo 7 Gin, and also worked hard to bring in some exciting premium and up-and-coming brands - all at really accessible prices. It all fits with our TCT mantra; everyone is welcome at the table, no matter what.”
Featuring 18 ‘Cocotails’ in total, the new menu includes seven brand-new cocktails, along with updated recipes for some of The Coconut Tree’s most popular drinks. It also includes a range of prestigious brands, including Casamigo Mezcal, Moose Botanical Spirit, and Della Vite Prosecco.
The brand new ‘Cocotails’ on the menu include:
• Now Or Never Negroni
Sri Lankan Colombo 7 Botanical Gin, Suze Gentian Root Liqueur & Belsazar White Vermouth. Island botanical flavours served with a sour lolly.
• Hit Me Up Mezcal
George Clooney’s original Casamigo Mezcal, shaken with Cointreau for a smoky sweet taste and finished with Sri Lankan kithul treacle and a coriander kick.
• RaspBangin’ Martini
Absolut Vanilla Vodka with Moose Liqueur - a fresh alpine spirit with hints of maple syrup, mint, gentian & nettle. Served with fresh crushed raspberries & a squeeze of lemon.
• Sri Lankan Cinnamon Old Fashioned
A twist on the prohibition classic: coconut arrack infused with cinnamon, smoking bitters, Bulleit Bourbon soothed with a giant coconut ice ball.
• Sunrise Surprise (Alcohol-free)
Tanqueray 0% mixed with Nix Kix Blood Orange, a lightly sparkling natural orange & tumeric drink with a touch of cayenne.
• Pi-no Colada (Alcohol-free)
A non-alcoholic version of the island classic! Rich coconut cream & fresh pineapple juice, served in a freshly carved pineapple.
• Banana Rama Tropicana (Two Sharing)
Banana Rum & Ceylon Arrack, mixed with pineapple juice, coconut water and lemonade for that island fizz.
The ever-popular Drunken Sri Lankan (served in an iconic ceramic elephant mug, nicknamed ‘Ruby’) will remain on the menu; meanwhile the sharing ‘Cocotail’, The Wild Bling Ting, has been given a star-studded upgrade, and now comes with a full bottle of the Delavigne sisters’ Della Vite Prosecco for topping up at the table.
With the launch of the new menu, The Coconut Tree is hoping to maintain its successful 60/40 sales balance on food & drink.
Brand Director, Anna Garrod explained, “We love that our ‘Cocotails’ bring a lot of laughter and fun to the table, and we showcase them at every point of service; we’ve designed them with with our partners to create 18 drinks that really fit our business.
With Christmas just around the corner, we’re excited to have the new menu ready just in time to help people celebrate; and we’ve included some great low sugar and alcohol-free options on the menu so there really is something for everyone.”
Recent winners of ‘Best Bar’ in the Mediaclash Bristol Life Awards, The Coconut Tree was originally founded by five Sri Lankan friends living in Cheltenham.
Praveen Thanginah, Dan Fernando and Shamil Fernando are the Head Chefs and oversee the food side of things; whilst the Board of Directors is made up of Mithra Fernando (Financial Director), Rodrigo Rashinthe (Operations Director) and Anna Garrod (Brand Director).