Piña Colada
Piña Coladas are a summer staple when it comes to relaxing the day away! Our version is made with frozen pineapple chunks, white and dark rum, sweet cream of coconut, fruity pineapple juice, and of course a garnish of fresh pineapple and maraschino cherries. Blend up a batch for your next poolside soiree, ladies night, or tiki themed birthday bash!
Piña Colada Recipe
Piña Colada is Spanish for “strained pineapple,” which refers to the pineapple juice within the drink. There are tons of variations on the history of the Piña Colada, some saying it was invented by a Puerto Rican pirate to help boost his crew’s morale in the early 1800s.
However, a hotel in Puerto Rico claims they were the ones who invented the now famous cocktail in 1954. Whatever the origin, this classic cocktail has become a staple of tiki bars, restaurants, and beachside bars for decades. Now you can make a batch right at home!
How to Make Piña Coladas
- Place the frozen pineapple chunks, ice, white and dark rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice into a high powered blender. Process until smooth.
- Pour the cocktail into several glasses and garnish with pineapple wedges, maraschino cherries, and straws.
- Serve immediately as this cocktail melts quickly. Cheers!
Tips and Variations:
- The dark rum adds a different flavor variation to the traditional Piña Colada and packs a punch. It can be omitted completely or swapped out for coconut or white rum. If you choose to leave out the dark rum, start with 3-4 cups of ice and add more as needed.
- Some bartenders like to add a splash of lime juice to add a bit of tangy flavor to the drink.
- You can use fresh pineapple and cut it into chunks yourself, however you’ll still want to freeze it before making this cocktail. Lay the pineapple in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. While not all recipes use frozen pineapple, we found it enhances the flavor and texture of the drink.
- Make sure to use cream of coconut and not coconut cream. Cream of coconut has added sugar that makes the drink taste sweet. Coconut cream does not. If you happen to end up with the wrong ingredient you can try adding simple syrup to sweeten the piña colada instead.
- If your blender isn’t high powered, start with half the amount of ice, blend, then add the rest and blend again.
Storage
Storage: This cocktail is best served and enjoyed as soon as it’s made. It will not store well.
More Cocktail Recipes to Try
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups ice
- 1 cup pineapple chunks, frozen
- 6 ounces rum, coconut or white
- 6 ounces cream of coconut
- 6 ounces pineapple juice
- 3 ounces dark rum
- Pineapple wedges or leaves, for garnish
- maraschino cherries, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the ingredients into a high powered blender, and process until smooth.5-6 cups ice1 cup pineapple chunks6 ounces rum6 ounces cream of coconut6 ounces pineapple juice3 ounces dark rum
- Pour into several glasses, and garnish with pineapple wedges, maraschino cherries, and straws.
- Serve immediately. This cocktail melts quickly.