The Pina Colada is one of the most famous cocktail in the world. Actually Pina Colada is very popular cocktail on the Caribbean. It is official cocktail of the Puerto Rico.
The Pina Colada (from Spanish – pina colada – strained pineapple) is tropical, sweet mixed drink which consist of rum, pineapple (juice or blended fruit) and cream of coconut. Some barmen also add heavy cream. The King of Cocktail also add a dash of Angostura bitter.
The key ingredient of modern Pina Colada is cream of coconut. The most notable brand is Coco Lopez. The Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut and traditional Thai coconut cream is two different coconut stuffs. The Coco Lopez is very sweet with amount of fat about 17%, but traditional coconut cream is very fat (about 50-60%) a little sweet cream. You may use traditional coconut cream instead Coco Lopez with extra sugar syrup.
The official date of Pina Colada birth is August 16, 1954. This cocktail was created in Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico by Ramon “Monchito” Marrero. He blended light puerto-rican rum with pineapple juice and Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut and crushed ice and great Pina Colada was born. Actually the story of Pina Colada is under debate. The great article about Pina Colada Cocktail written by George Sinclair aka Bourbon George aka Thinking Bartender you may read here.
For my Pina Colada I use recipe which include rum, pineapple stuffs, traditional thai coconut milk (100% natural stuffs) and cane sugar syrup. I prefer blended pinacolada than shaken.
Pina Colada
50 ml white rum
100 ml pineapple juice
50 ml coconut milk
20 ml simple syrup
dash of Angostura bitter (optional)
Blend all ingredients in a blender with scoop of crushed ice. Serve in the collins, hurricane glass, large goblet or colada-glass. Garnish with pineapple slice and red maraschino cherry.
For Virgin Pina Colada omit rum. The Virgin Pina Colada is great refreshing sweet drink.
Be careful with crushed ice in the Pina Colada. For best consistency you may use a little bit less of crushed ice than for another frozen drinks.
I declared three degree of Pina Colada:
1. The Pina Colada with canned pineapple juice and white rum. It is average potation. Use quality juice and quality rum and your obtain the decent potation. Also you may use mix of white and dark rums or add dash or two of Angostura bitter for interesting results.
2. For better results I use caned pineapple (this trick I read in one of Calabrese book). In this case I use my best aged rums – like Varadero 5 y.o., Matusalem 7 y.o., Bacardi 8 or Havana Club Anejo Especial – with great results.
3. I use fresh ripe pineapple and great aged rums for my ultimate pinacoladas:
My Pina Colada
50 ml aged rum
90 g fresh pineapple
50 ml coconut milk
20 ml simple syrup
First blend all ingredients without ice until smooth. Than add scoop of crushed ice and blend again.Serve in the collins, hurricane glass, large goblet or colada-glass. Garnish with pineapple slice and red maraschino cherry.
This version of Pina Colada Cocktail is awesome drink. It has so sweet rum and fruit taste with great palate of aged rum and thin smooth consistency. It is great summer cocktail.