Piña Colada

Pina Colada

A creamy frozen blend of white rum, cream of coconut and fresh pineapple juice, sweet and tropical, served in a hurricane glass.

11% ABV
Blended
4 min
Hurricane glass
sweet
fruity
creamy
refreshing
IBA official cocktail · Contemporary Classics

about 1.1 standard drinks (US, 14 g of alcohol). Estimated after dilution with ice.

Ingredients

1¾ ozWhite rum
1 ozCream of coconutA thick, sweetened coconut product, not coconut milk.
1¾ ozPineapple juiceFreshly pressed juice is the standard choice.

Ice: Crushed ice · Garnish: pineapple, cocktail cherry

Method

Chill a hurricane glass in the freezer, or fill it with ice water while you prepare the drink.
Pour 50 ml white rum, 30 ml cream of coconut and 50 ml fresh pineapple juice into a blender.
Add about a cupful of crushed ice (roughly 200 g) and blend briefly, until the mixture is smooth and thick.
Empty the glass if you used ice water, then pour in the drink.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cocktail cherry, and serve with a straw.

Want it without alcohol? Try the alcohol-free version: Virgin Piña Colada

Tips

Use sweetened cream of coconut. Unsweetened coconut milk or cream is not a direct substitute: it lacks the sugar and changes the balance, and coconut milk also makes the drink thinner.
Blend only until smooth. Over-blending melts the ice and leaves the drink watery.
Fresh pineapple juice is the standard choice. Packaged juice also works, but its sweetness varies from one product to another, so taste before serving.

History

The name means "strained pineapple" in Spanish, and the drink is closely tied to Puerto Rico, which made it its official drink in 1978. Its creation is often credited to a bartender at a hotel in San Juan in the 1950s, though other San Juan venues also claim it.