1. Choose natural unsweetened coconut water. The fresher the better. If you can catch hold of fresh tender coconuts then it works really well. Otherwise, canned works good.
2. Adjust the amount of sugar used as per taste. Also coconut water is slightly sweet too so take that into account.
3. You can make large batches ahead. Just do not add ice cubes and other garnishes. 4. You can heat the water to help dissolve the sugar faster. But then you will need to cool down the water before you add coconut water. Hence I prefer to just mix the sugar and water at room temperature.