Piña colada

The piña colada (/ˌpiːnjə koʊˈlɑːdə, -nə-, -kə-/;[1][2] Spanish: piña [ˈpiɲa], "pineapple", and colada [koˈlaða], "strained") is a cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut or coconut milk, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with either a pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, or both. The drink originated in Puerto Rico.

For other uses, see Piña colada (disambiguation).

Piña Colada
IBA official cocktail
TypeCocktail
Base spirit
ServedFrozen: blended with ice
Standard garnishslice of pineapple with a cocktail cherry
Standard drinkware
Poco Grande glass
IBA specified
ingredients†
  • 50 ml white rum
  • 30 ml coconut cream
  • 50 ml fresh pineapple juice
PreparationBlend all the ingredients with ice in an electric blender, pour into a large glass, and serve with straws.
NotesHistorically a few drops of fresh lime juice were added to taste. 4 slices of fresh pineapple can be used instead of juice
† Piña Colada recipe at International Bartenders Association

Etymology

The name piña colada (Spanish) literally means "strained pineapple",[3] a reference to the freshly pressed and strained pineapple juice used in the drink's preparation.

History
Ramón Portas Mingot is credited with creating the drink.


The earliest known story states that in the 19th century, Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí, to boost his crew's morale, gave them a beverage or cocktail that contained coconut, pineapple and white rum.[4] This was what would be later known as the famous piña colada. With his death in 1825, the recipe for the piña colada was lost. Historian Haydée Reichard disputes this version of the story.[5]

In 1950, The New York Times reported that "Drinks in the West Indies range from Martinique's famous rum punch to Cuba's pina colada (rum, pineapple and coconut milk)."[6]

The Caribe Hilton Hotel claims Ramón "Monchito" Marrero created the Piña Colada in 1954 while a bartender at the hotel. According to this account, Marrero finally settled upon the recipe for the Piña Colada, which he felt captured the true nature and essence of Puerto Rico.[7] The hotel was presented with a proclamation in 2004 by Puerto Rico Governor Sila M. Calderón celebrating the drink's 50th anniversary.[8][9]

Barrachina, a restaurant in Puerto Rico, says that "a traditional Spanish bartender Don Ramon Portas Mingot in 1963 created what became the world's famous drink: the Piña Colada."[10][11]

In 1978, Puerto Rico proclaimed the cocktail to be its official drink.[5][12]

Preparation
Piña colada

As recounted by his friends in José L. Díaz de Villegas's book, the original Monchito recipe was to pour 85 grams of cream of coconut, 170 grams of pineapple juice and 43 grams of white rum into a blender or shaker with crushed ice, blend or shake very well until smooth, then pour into chilled glass and garnish with pineapple wedge and/or a maraschino cherry.

There are many recipes for piña colada. The International Bartenders Association specifies it as

Ingredients
  • (5 parts) 5 cl (1.7 US fl oz) white rum
  • (3 parts) 3 cl (1.0 US fl oz) coconut cream
  • (5 parts) 5 cl (1.7 US fl oz) pineapple juice
Method

Mix with crushed ice in blender until smooth, then pour into a chilled glass, garnish and serve. Alternately, the three main components can simply be added to a cocktail glass with ice cubes.[13]

In San Juan, Puerto Rico a different recipe is used:

Ingredients
  • 1 US fl oz (3.0 cl) heavy cream
  • 6 US fl oz (18 cl) frozen freshly pressed pineapple juice
  • 1 US fl oz (3.0 cl) cream of coconut
  • 2 US fl oz (5.9 cl) rum
Method

Freeze pineapple juice before use. In a blender, combine cream of coconut, frozen pineapple juice, heavy cream and rum. Pour in a desired 12-ounce container and use a cherry and fresh pineapple for a garnish.[12]

Variations

Different proportions of the core ingredients, as well as different types of rum, may all be used in the piña colada. Frozen piña coladas are also served. Other named variations include

  • Lava Flow or Miami Vice – strawberry daiquiri and piña colada layered in one glass.[14]
  • Scotsman colada – substitute Scotch for rum.[15]
  • Tepache colada – a piña colada variation using tepache developed by JungleBird in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Recipe calls for 1.5 oz Gold Rum, 2 o oz Tepache and 1.5 oz Coconut Cream.[16]

In the United States, National Piña Colada Day is celebrated on 10 July.[17]

The cocktail gained worldwide fame after Rupert Holmes released his 1979 song "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)", which became a popular hit around the world.[18][19]

Piña coladas are referenced in the 2023 Eurovision entry Cha Cha Cha by Finnish rapper Käärijä, in which he describes drinking piña coladas after an exhausting week before letting himself go on the dancefloor.[20][21] The song led to an increased popularity of the drink in Finland.[22]

See also

References
  1. "piña colada". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  2. "piña colada". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
  3. "Pina colada definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. "Con diez cañones por banda... y una piña colada en la mano". El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). 9 July 2008. Archived from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
  5. Pérez Rivera, Tatiana (10 August 2014). "Nuestra piña colada cumple 60 años". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  6. "AT THE BAR". The New York Times. 16 April 1950.
  7. "Puerto Rico Hotels on the Beach". Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  8. "History of Caribe Hilton". Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  9. Marcus, Lilit (2 May 2019). "Celebrating the piña colada's birthplace". CNN Travel.
  10. "Best Restaurant in Old San Juan Puerto Rico". Barrachina.
  11. "A Caribbean Tale Of Two Piña Coladas". Puerto Rico Herald.
  12. Klein, Christopher (16 June 2015). "The Birth of the Piña Colada". History. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  13. "Pina Colada". IBA. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  14. "Lava Flow". Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  15. Hubbard, Lauren (17 July 2019). "The Best Whiskey Cocktails to Shake Up Your Bar Cart – Scotsman Colada". Town & Country. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  16. "Celebrate Piña Colada Day with the Tepache Colada at Jungle Bird". thirsty. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  17. "NATIONAL PINA COLADA DAY – July 10 – National Day Calendar". nationaldaycalendar.com. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  18. Emma Stokes (18 April 2017). The Periodic Table of Cocktails. ABRAMS. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-68335-045-3.
  19. Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 528. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.
  20. Savage, Mark (10 May 2023). "Käärijä is Finland's Cha Cha Charmer. Eurovision Q&A". BBC.
  21. Palmer, Katie (9 May 2023). "Finland Eurovision 2023 song lyrics: Kaarija's Cha Cha Cha is branded 'crazy'". Express. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  22. Dayana (6 March 2023). "Finland's Käärijä boosts interest in the Piña Colada with "Cha Cha Cha"". Wiwibloggs.
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