Pina Colada Recipe

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. We go the blender-free route in this easy Pina Colada recipe. It’s 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 X’er 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 Ramon 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 Jose 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.

Pina Colada 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:

White Rum

White rum is the only liquor in our Pina Colada recipe.

We like to use Bacardi Carta Blanca rum since that’s what we typically have in our liquor cabinet. As a bonus, the popular rum, which has a 37.5% ABV, is distilled in Puerto Rico.

Discover our favorite rum cocktails.

Cream of Coconut

You may be tempted to use a can of coconut cream instead of cream of coconut. Don’t do it! Despite the similar names, the two liquids are not the same.

The easiest option is to buy a can of Coco Lopez cream of coconut from your local market or from Amazon. Another option is to make cream of coconut at home with just three ingredients – coconut milk, granulated sugar and salt. We used this easy cream of coconut recipe and will probably use it again.

Warning
Freshly made cream of coconut is so delicious that you’ll want to lick the spoon if you whip up a batch at home.

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 following basic bar tools.

The first step is to measure the three liquids with a jigger. We use a Japanese jigger for the this and other recipes to get accurate, clean pours.

Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you don’t have 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.

Buy a Boston shaker from Amazon if you don’t have a shaker or if you want to improve your at-home mixology experience.

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.

Pina Colada Drink Alternatives

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:

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Original Publication Date: June 11, 2023