Food Fact Friday: If you like Piña Coladas
The piña colada (Spanish, for “strained pineapple) is a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with hard rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It is usually garnished with a pineapple wedge or a maraschino cherry. The piña colada has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico since 1978.
There are MANY stories on how this drink was invented. The oldest story is that in the 1800s, Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí (a.k.a. "El Pirata Cofresí"), to boost his crew's morale he gave them a beverage or cocktail that contained coconut, pineapple and white rum. This was what would be later known as the famous piña colada. With his death in 1825, the recipe for the piña colada was conveniently lost.
The story with the most credibility is the one that, the Piña Colada was introduced on August 15, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico by its alleged creator, Ramon “Monchito” Marrero. Apparently, the hotel management had expressly requested Monchito to mix a new signature drink that would delight the demanding palates of its exclusive clientele. Monchito accepted the challenge, and after 3 intense months of blending, shaking and experimenting, the first Piña Colada was born.
Here are some great variations on the Piña Colada. The Miami Vice is my personal favorite (see pic above)! When we went to an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic a few years ago, I was drinking them left and right. Gotta take advantage of the free alcohol, haha.
Chi Chi - vodka substituted for rum
Miami Vice - 1/2 strawberry daiquiri poured with 1/2 piña colada (do not blend together)
Lava Flow - Strawberry daiquiri and piña colada blended together
Amaretto Colada - amaretto substituted for rum
Belizean Piña Colada - evaporated milk instead of coconut cream
I like getting caught in the rain!
Or is it the sun?
Hahaha I don't know the lyrics properly!
Thanks for the history and the facts. I like coconut, so coconutty drinks are my choice. But I don't drink alcohol, so I always just have coconut shakes instead!
Post a Comment