Pina Colada
The Piña Colada is another classic Tiki cocktail—but this version comes with a Brazilian twist. It uses Cachaça, a personal favorite of mine, to bring a smoky depth to the drink. If you’re new to this variation or prefer to start with the traditional version, simply omit the Cachaça.
Cachaça adds a beautiful smoky character to this and many rum-based cocktails, much like how a touch of Genever adds maltiness to certain gin cocktails. That said, like Genever, Cachaça won’t enhance every rum cocktail—but when it works, it really shines.
For this recipe, I’m focusing on the frozen version of the drink. I find that frozen pineapple pieces reveal more personality and body in the drink compared to fresh ones. Using canned pineapple doesn’t feel quite right, and replacing pineapple with juice alone often makes the cocktail overly sweet.
The Piña Colada was first created in Puerto Rico in the early 1950s. As with many iconic drinks, its origin is debated, but it is widely accepted that the original was served at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan.
Since 1978, the Piña Colada has held the title of Puerto Rico’s official cocktail, and it’s celebrated globally. In fact, due to the large Puerto Rican population in the U.S., National Piña Colada Day is marked every July 10th.
The below recipe makes 6 servings.
Pina Colada Ingredients:
100 ml Light Rum
- 100ml Malibu
25 ml Cachaça
- 25ml Aged Rum
100 ml Pineapple Juice
150 ml Cream of Coconut
- 300g Frozen Pineapple Chunks
15 ml Fresh Lime Juice
1 pinch of Salt
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a blender along with a generous handful of crushed ice, or two large ice cubes
Blend until smooth and frothy.
Pour into a Collins glass or similar tall glass.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge, orange wedge, and a maraschino cherry, skewered on a cocktail parasol for a true tropical presentation.
