Ingredients
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1½ ounces pineapple juice
- 1½ ounces cream of coconut
- 1 ounce strawberry liqueur
- 2 ounces light rum
- Ice
- Pineapple wedge, lime twist, and pineapple leaf for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, strawberry liqueur, and light rum.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a poco grande or hurricane glass filled with fresh ice.
- Garnish with the pineapple wedge, lime twist, and pineapple leaf.
Variations
One popular variation of this recipe is called the Miami Vice, which is a layered mixture of frozen piña colada and a frozen strawberry daiquiri. But for the home mixologist, that's not super practical unless you either have two blenders or want to wash your blender between layers. A strawberry piña colada has all the flavor of the Miami Vice drink but doesn't require a blender at all. Of course, you can also opt for a frozen version. In a blender, combine:
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1½ ounces pineapple juice
- 1½ ounces cream of coconut
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- ½ cup crushed ice
Blend until smooth for a tasty frozen strawberry piña colada. You can use this basic formula but switch out the fruit for a whole array of piña colada flavors including:
- Peach
- Mango
- Raspberry
- Blueberry
- Papaya
- Passionfruit
- Guava
Garnishes
Since you're having a fruity tropical cocktail, you might as well use some fun garnishes like the pineapple wedge and lime twist. The umbrella is optional, but it's an entertaining addition with campy flare. You can also spear a cherry and a pineapple chunk on an umbrella or cocktail pick for an island vibe.
About the Strawberry Piña Colada
Piña coladas appeared sometime in the 1950s, most likely from a bar in Puerto Rico. And they were certainly pretty quickly popular...why wouldn't they be with their smooth, sweet, tropical flavors?
However, it was a song that may have truly set them into American cultural consciousness when Rupert Holmes hit the airwaves with Escape (also known as The Piña Colada Song). Ironically, the drink was almost not included in the iconic lyrics. Instead, Holmes originally wrote, "If you like Humphrey Bogart, and getting caught in the rain." Then, by some inspiration, Holmes--who had never even tasted a piña colada--decided at the last minute to change the lyric. The rest, as they say, is sweet, sweet history.
And you can sweeten this history even further when you add the ultimate summer fruit--the strawberry--to the standard piña colada. Since you're not blending, strawberry liqueur serves as a stand-in for the berries but still adds summer-fresh flavors to a tropical favorite.
A Berry Good Piña Colada
As it turns out, strawberry flavors are a delightful addition to the piña colada. Their sweet summer flavor blends beautifully with coconut, pineapple, and rum. And that is a berry good thing.
