Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
- ½ to 1 ounces pineapple juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1½ ounces cream of coconut
- 2 ounces light rum
- ½ to 1 cup crushed ice
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender combine the fresh pineapple, ½ ounce pineapple juice, cream of coconut, light rum, and ½ cup of the crushed ice.
- Blend until smooth, adding more ice or pineapple juice as needed to adjust the consistency.
- Pour into a wine glass, rocks glass, hurricane glass, or poco grande glass.
- Garnish with the pineapple wedge.
Variations and Substitutions
This is a simple and delicious drink that's easy to make at home. You can vary it in many ways.
- Use pineapple or coconut rum in place of light rum.
- Use vodka instead of rum to make a chi chi.
- No cream of coconut? Instead, add 1 ounce of coconut milk or coconut cream and 1 ounce of simple syrup.
- Add up to 1 cup of another fresh fruit along with the pineapple such as guava, papaya, banana, or berries.
- Add bananas or banana liqueur for a tasty banana colada, or use bananas and Baileys for a BBC cocktail.
Garnishes
No need to get fancy here--a simple pineapple wedge communicates the drink's most important ingredient: fresh pineapple. Want a pop of color? Use a cocktail pick to attach a cherry to the top of the pineapple wedge and garnish with that instead.
About the Piña Colada With Fresh Pineapple
Piña means pineapple in Spanish--it's the cocktail's primary flavor and ingredient. And piña colada means strained pineapple. So clearly, the juicy, sweet, tropical flavor of pineapple is incredibly important to this enduring tropical cocktail. That's why fresh pineapple is such a welcome addition to the drink. Because while you can use juice or frozen pineapple, there's nothing as delicious as a perfectly ripe, fresh pineapple to bring island flavor right to your kitchen.
When preparing the pineapple, cut away the top and bottom. Then, use a sharp knife to trim the prickly skin from the flesh, halve the remaining cube, and cut out the pineapple's core so there aren't any tough pieces in your drink. Use only the sweet, juicy flesh to make the perfect piña colada.
Fresh Tropical Taste
If you're looking for a taste of the tropics in a frosty glass, then you can't go wrong with the piña colada made with fresh pineapple. So don't bypass the pineapples in the produce aisle. Pick one up, bring it home, and enjoy a delightful, delicious cocktail.
