The Piña Colada was invented at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan in the 1950s, and the formula hasn’t needed fixing since: rum, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut, blended with ice until it’s thick and frosty. No shaker, no stirring, no technique to fumble. The blender does the work.
What You’re Learning
Cream of coconut is not coconut milk. Cream of coconut (Coco Lopez is the standard) is coconut pulp pressed with sugar into a thick, sweetened base built for blending into drinks. Coconut milk and coconut cream are unsweetened and thinner, made for cooking, and will leave the drink flat and under-sweet. Shake the can well before opening, since the coconut solids settle and separate in storage.
Blend for texture, not just to combine. The ice is what turns this from a mixed drink into a Piña Colada, so blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth with no ice chunks left, about 20 to 30 seconds. Stop as soon as it’s uniform. Over-blending melts the ice further, which thins the drink and waters down the flavor instead of improving it.
Ingredients
- 2 oz white rum
- 3 oz pineapple juice
- 2 oz cream of coconut (Coco Lopez), shaken well before measuring
- 1 cup ice
- Pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry, for garnish
Method
- Combine the liquids. Add the rum, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut to a blender.
- Blend with the ice. Add the ice and blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds, until completely smooth with no ice chunks remaining.
- Pour and garnish. Pour into a tall glass, garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry, and serve immediately with a straw.
Notes
- Cream of coconut, not coconut milk or coconut cream. Coco Lopez is the standard brand and is already sweetened for exactly this drink.
- Freeze pineapple chunks in place of some of the ice for a thicker, frostier drink that doesn’t dilute as it melts.
- Don’t over-blend. Stop as soon as the texture is smooth. Extra blending time just melts more ice and thins the drink.
- Scale it up in the same blender. Double or triple every ingredient to make a full pitcher for a crowd, then divide into glasses.
- For a non-alcoholic version, skip the rum and add an extra ounce of pineapple juice with a splash of coconut water.
