Piña Colada is a frothy sweetened drink with a slight touch of alcohol. It is an iconic summer drink in western culture. It is impossible to think of beach parties or sunbathing without a glass of chilled Piña Colada during summer vacation. Even though it was invented in the middle of the 18th century, it was actually in the late 70s that its fame spread worldwide and became part and parcel of every beach bar.
There is a misconception that Piña Colada is a luxurious drink. But in truth, it can be made at home as it has only four basic and easy-to-obtain ingredients. Classical Piña Colada contains- pineapple, white or light rum, creme of coconut and crushed ice. All it needs then is to put in a blender maintaining a certain ratio and blend it till it turns into a smoothie. Piña Colada is garnished with diced pineapple and maraschino cherries and served in a poco grande glass. Virgin Piña Colada is the non-alcoholic variant of this beverage which is suitable for children and especially for those Piña Colada lovers who do not like to take any type of liquor.
Recipe:
The International Bar Association (IBA) specified the ideal version of this contemporary classic. Here the ingredients per serving will be-
- 50 ml White Rum
- 30 ml Coconut Cream
- 50 ml Fresh Pineapple Juice
All ingredients will go in an electric blender along with the required amount of crushed ice. This alcoholic smoothie will be served in a large glass, mainly in iconic hurricane glass.
Traditionally, Piña Colada often replaces strained pineapple juice with four pieces of pineapple chunks. Moreover, a few drops of lime juice is used to enhance the taste. Garnished with a slice of pineapple with a bar cherry, the Piña Colada glass comes with a straw and a small umbrella to complete its tropical drink look. For larger servings, the ratio will be 5 parts white rum : 3 parts coconut cream: and 5 parts fresh pineapple juice. The word “Piña Colada” comes from Spanish and literally means strained pineapple which symbolizes pressed and strained pineapple juice, the ideal core ingredient of this drink. Puerto Rico declared Piña Colada as the national drink in 1978. Piña Colada lovers each year celebrate National Piña Colada Day on the Variants of Piña Colada. Over the course of years, Piña Colada adapted new ingredients and various versions of this drink came out.
Now the varieties are so diverse that the recipe may vary from bar to bar. Some replace ice cubes with frozen pineapple pieces while others use different types of liquors. One of the most famous variants of Piña Colada is “Virgin Piña Colada” which contains coconut milk instead of rum as well as 1 to 3 teaspoons of brown sugar for extra sweetness. Notably, coconut cream and coconut milk are not the same things. Coconut cream is either available as a different product or can be skimmed out from the frozen can of coconut milk. Coconut Milk on the other hand is the squeezed-out thoroughly strained juice of grounded coconut. Coconut milk is comparatively easy to make at home or can be store-bought in a form of distilled can.
Similarly, kiwi colada and soda colada are other non-alcoholic variants of Piña Colada. Kiwi colada replaces pineapple with fresh kiwi and syrup. Soda works as the substitute for liquor in Soda Colada. The History Behind the Invention of Piña Colada, It is proven that The Caribbean’s Puerto Rico island is the birthplace of Piña Colada. There are many debates about the time of invention and the inventor of Piña Colada.
Some historians say that the first inventor of Piña Colada is a Puerto Rican pirate named El Pirata Roberto Cofresí. According to the legends, he was famous among the masses for his "Robin Hood "-type behaviours. Folklore mentions that around the beginning of the 19th century, captain Roberto Cofresí mixed up Rum, pineapple and coconuts and distributed them among his fellow hot-headed sailors right before the mutiny. Thus, the invention of Piña Colada is purely coincidental yet creative. Unfortunately, Cofresí did not leave any heir of this recipe. As a result, the ancient recipe of Piña Colada died along with him in 1825.The officially recognized and certified inventor of Piña Colada is Ramon “Monchito” Marrero. He was the bartender of the San Juan bar in Caribe Hilton hotel, Puerto Rico. He invented this cocktail in 1954 and solely served it to guests and customers for the next thirty-five years. Soon Piña Colada’s fame sore to the sky through simple basic ingredients like-
● 2 ounces white rum
● 1-ounce coconut cream
● 1-ounce heavy cream
● 6 ounces of fresh pineapple juice
● Half a cup of crushed ice
Marrero served it in a 12-ounce glass after blending it smoothly. In conclusion, no matter how many variants of Piña Coladas are out there or no matter where it is made by whom, Piña Colada will always remain a must-have drink in the summertime. The way a chilled glass of this marvellous drink quenches the thirst can never be described in words.
