Pina Colada
The Pina Colada is a Cocktail which consists of Rum, Pineapple and Coconut.
Piña Colada means “strained pineapple”.
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Where was the Pina Colada created, and by whom?
"The Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico. According to Maria Elena Pérez, the Piña Colada was introduced there on August 15, 1954 by its creator Ramon “Monchito” Marrero."
"Coco López, the maker of the coconut cream most often used in the drink, marked the selling of the three millionth Piña Colada in 1978 by presenting a color television set to Monchito. On the same day, he was honored with a party and awarded a medal by the Caribe Hilton, while the government of Puerto Rico declared the Piña Colada the “national drink of Puerto Rico.”"
Note: The Coco Lopez doesn't endorse anyone as the creator of the Pina Colada.
Pre- 1954 Pina Colada Quote
(Thanks to Mbanu!!!)
April 16th 1950, New York Times, "At the Bar":
"Drinks in the West Indies range from Martinique's famous rum punch to Cuba's pina colada (rum, pineapple and coconut milk). Key west has a variety of lime swizzles and punches, and Granadians use nutmeg in their rum drinks. Cubans and Puerto Ricans make a variety of tasty and exotic fruit beverages. These include guanabana (soursop juice), fruta bomba (papaya), watermelon juice, muskmelon juice and a drink of almond blended with banana juice."
Other people who claim to have invented the Pina Colada
- Ramon Marrero Perez of the Caribe Hilton claims he mixed his first Piña Colada in 1954.
- Don Ramon Portas Mingot of La Barrachina restaurant, in San Juan, also claims he mixed the first Piña Colada in 1963.
- Ricardo Garcia, 1950s.
Original Recipe
- 2 ounces light rum
- 1 ounce coconut cream
- 1 ounce heavy cream
- 6 ounces fresh pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup crushed ice
- Pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry for garnish
Pour rum, coconut cream, cream, and pineapple juice in blender. Add ice. Blend for 15 seconds. Pour into a 12-ounce glass. Add garnishes.
Common Recipes
Recipe#1: Ricardo Gracia
- one fresh pineapple
- one green coconut
- white rum
- one cup crushed ice
- Pour the juice of the coconut into a blender
- Add a scoop of the coconut jelly (the gooey stuff between the milk and the meat)
- Chop off the top of the pineapple and set aside
- Hollow out the pineapple and place contents into the blender
- Mix pineapple and coconut well
- Add the rum
- Add crushed ice and blend 5 minutes until CREAMY
- Pour pina colada into the hollowed out pineapple
- Make a hole in the top of the pineapple for a straw, close and serve
Recipe#2: Drinkboy Robert Hess
The "Authentic" Pina Colada: (Serves 2)
- 4 oz. "Coco Lopez" cream of coconut
- 4 oz. Pinapple Juice
- 3 oz Rum
- 2 cups Ice
- Mix well in a Blender
- Garnish with pineapple and cherry
Pina Colada Quotes
"...a pina colado -- a glass, nearly as large and quite as thin as possible, of the chilled essence of pineapple."
- Page 44 San Cristobal de la Habana Hergesheimer Knopf 1923
"the juice of a perfectly ripe pineapple — a delicious drink in itself — rapidly shaken up with ice, sugar, lime and Bacardi sum in delicate proportions."
- December 1922 issue of TRAVEL magazine
