Pina Colada: No Blender Required
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The Pina Colada is more than the subject of a 70s hit song. Puerto Rico’s national drink is also a frothy, fruity cocktail that’s surprisingly simple to make at home either with or without a blender. This easy blender-free Pina Colada recipe is a winner.
It’s impossible for us to discuss our Pina Colada recipe without breaking into song.
Rupert Holmes’ Escape burnt into our memories long before we were legally able to drink the milky rum libation or even think about making love at midnight in the dunes on the cape. Dating back to 1979, it’s a catchy yacht rock tune that’s passed the test of time with flying colors.
We suspect you’re in the same beachside boat if you’re a Gen Xer too. If not, once you listen to Holmes’ Escape (also known as the ‘Pina Colada Song‘), you won’t be able to liberate the tune from your ears either.
However, the best approach is to craft a Pina Colada cocktail at home and drink it with Escape blasting in the background. Not only will your taste buds sing with happiness, but you’ll feel like you’re on a sunny Caribbean beach regardless of the actual location and season.
What Is the Pina Colada?
Although piña colada literally translates to strained pineapple, the Pina Colada that we all know and love is something more. A lot more.
The Pina Colada is a classic rum cocktail that’s crafted with rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice and lime juice. It’s a tropical drink that’s both frothy and fruity. And, depending on the bartender, the Pina Colada can be crafted with either a blender or a shaker.
History of the Pina Colada Cocktail
The Pina Colada seems like it should have been created at a tropical beach resort and that’s exactly where it was born. Puerto Rican barman Ramón Marrero blended the original Pina Colada with five ingredients (rum, coconut cream, heavy cream, fresh pineapple juice and crushed ice) more than a half-century ago.
Marrero didn’t just craft the world’s first Pina Colada at the Caribe Hilton in sunny San Juan in 1954. He also crafted a cocktail legend – a status that was legitimized in 1978 when the Piña Colada was designated Puerto Rico’s official drink.
Ingredients
While Marrero included both coconut cream and heavy cream in his original Pina Colada recipe, we include the following ingredients in our Pina Colada recipe:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
How to Craft a Pina Colada Cocktail
Unlike Marrero’s original recipe, our recipe doesn’t require a blender. We experimented with Pina Colada recipes using our blender. However, it turns out that we prefer a simpler approach using the fbasic bar tools.
The first step is to measure the four liquids with a jigger. We use a Japanese jigger for this and other recipes to get accurate, clean pours.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.
Immediately pour each liquid directly into a shaker. We use a Boston shaker for this and other recipes since it doesn’t leak and is easy to clean.
Add ice and shake until the liquids are combined and chilled. This step should take about 20 seconds.
Strain the shaken drink into a glass of your choice. We like to use a lowball glass, but you may want to use a Hurricane glass or Poco Grande glass instead.
We also like to drink our Pina Colada on the rocks. However, you can opt for crushed ice or no ice instead.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry or two.
Adding a cocktail umbrella isn’t required. However, adding one provides a tropical touch that completes the drink.
Variations
Hopefully, you will love our Pina Colada recipe just the way it is. Either way, feel free to make it your own using one of the following variations:
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Pina Colada Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces white rum
- 2 ounces pineapple juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 ounces cream of coconut
- ¼ ounce lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- ice cubes
- 1 wedge pineapple wedge (garnish)
- 1 maraschino cherry (garnish)
Instructions
- Pour rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut and lime juice into a shaker.
- Add ice cubes and shake until the liquids are combined and chilled.
- Strain into a glass of your choice. (We like to add ice cubes to the glass but they're optional since the mixture is already chilled.)
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry.
Notes
- Do not replace the cream of coconut with coconut cream. The two liquids are completely different.
- Pull out the blender if you want to craft a blended Pina Colada.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
A Pina Colada is a classic rum cocktail that’s crafted with rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice and lime juice
The Pina Colada was invented in Puerto Rico.
White Rum, Cream of Coconut, Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, Pineapple Wedge (garnish), Maraschino Cherry (garnish) and Ice Cubes
The Pina Colada cocktail is shaken unless it’s blended.
Drinking any cocktail in excess will cause intoxication. The Pina Colada is no exception to this rule.
Although a proper Pina Colada is crafted with natural ingredients, it’s a stretch to call it healthy considering the cocktail’s high levels of both sugar and saturated fat.
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