Preparation
- Combine all ingredients with about half a cup of crushed ice to start in a suitable stand blender.
- Blend until an even, icy texture forms. Add a little more ice if needed.
- Pour the entire contents into the serving glass.
- Finish with a garnish: pineapple slice and cocktail cherry.
What does it taste like?
Sweet is the first word. The cream of coconut is sugared, and the pineapple juice adds further fruit sugar. Then pineapple comes through clearly, fruity with a light acidity that keeps the whole thing from tipping over into cloying. Coconut fat makes the drink thick and creamy, almost dessert-like. The white rum barely comes through despite 50 milliliters being in there. That's exactly the danger: the Piña Colada seems harmless, and it isn't. The crushed ice keeps it ice-cold and gives it its smooth texture.
When does it work best?
The Piña Colada is a vacation drink, for the afternoon, by the pool, in summer. Beginners almost always enjoy it, since nothing about it is bitter or sharp. Those looking for dry cocktails are completely in the wrong place here. It doesn't pair with food, it's practically a meal in itself. One glass is usually enough, a second quickly becomes too much.
What matters
Cream of coconut is sweetened coconut cream and not the same as coconut milk or unsweetened coconut cream. With the wrong product, the Piña Colada turns thin and flat. Stir the can well before measuring, since the fat separates and rises to the top. Start sparingly with the ice: too much makes the drink watery and foamy. Then add more step by step until the mixture runs smoothly and evenly.
Where the drink comes from
The creamy Piña Colada as we know it today belongs to Puerto Rico. Several bars and bartenders in San Juan claim credit for its invention, including the Caribe Hilton and the restaurant Barrachina. The dates given partly contradict each other, and a clean verdict is hardly possible from the outside. On top of that, drinks with similar names existed earlier, and they didn't necessarily contain cream of coconut. Today's mix of rum, pineapple, and coconut should therefore be kept separate from these earlier precursors.