The easiest way to avoid the pushing and shoving of sweaty beach goers at your favorite beachfront tiki bar is to learn how to make the perfect piña colada recipe from home. That way, you can quietly sip on the jug of piña coladas that you mixed together in your hotel room before you started out for your sand and surf adventure. So, dive right into a couple of the best piña colada recipes you could have on-hand.
Piña Colada Recipe
The original piña colada recipe is easy enough that even novices can make it perfectly right on their first go around. Just blend crushed pineapple, coconut cream, and light rum together to create the deliciously old-fashioned flavor of a classic piña colada.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the crushed pineapple, coconut cream, light rum, and ice.
- Blend until the mixture is smooth and then pour it into a poco grande glass.
- Garnish with a skewered pineapple wedge and cherry and serve.
Piña Colada With Coconut Rum
If you find yourself consuming coconut cake by the pounds and sprinkle coconut flakes on everything that you can, switching out the light rum for coconut rum in your piña colada recipe is a great option for you.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces heavy cream
- 4 ounces pineapple juice
- 4 ounces coconut rum
- Crushed ice
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
- Cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the heavy cream, pineapple juice, and coconut rum.
- Add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a poco grande glass filled with crushed ice.
- Garnish with a skewered pineapple wedge and cherry and serve.
Piña Colada With Dark Rum
Substituting light rum for dark rum in your piña colada recipe will deepen the flavor just enough to result in a heavier, less sweet version of the classic cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces coconut cream
- 4 ounces pineapple juice
- 2 ounces dark rum
- Ice
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
- Cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the coconut cream, pineapple juice, dark rum, and ice.
- Blend until smooth and pour the mixture into a poco grande glass.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry skewer and serve.
Shaken Piña Colada
Shaken piña coladas don't require a blender, which makes them a great option to have when you're in a rush and don't have the time it takes to prep the original recipe but desperately want a piña colada on-the-go.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce coconut cream
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- 1½ ounces light rum
- Ice
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
- Cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the coconut cream, pineapple juice, and light rum.
- Add ice and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a poco grande glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry skewer.
Nonalcoholic Piña Colada
Even children and teens should be able to relish in the delicious taste of the piña colada's beloved coconut creaminess. This family friendly recipe lets all the people in your life, both young and old, enjoy the classic tropical drink.
Ingredients
- ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
- Cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the frozen pineapple, coconut milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla ice cream.
- Blend thoroughly and pour the mixture into a poco grande glass.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry and serve.
How the Piña Colada Came to Be
There are many conflicting reports as to who originated this creamy cocktail, with three separate establishments claiming that it was one of their bartenders who created this tropical drink. Whether it was at the Caribe Hilton's Beachcomber Bar, the Puerto Rican restaurant Barrachina, or the Caribe Hilton, you can thank the inspired creatives across the Puerto Rican landscape for the creamy coconut goodness that you get to enjoy all summer long.
Rum-inate on Your Rum Choice
Although piña coladas are usually created using light rum, you can actually create one using whatever rum you enjoy best. Incorporating dark rums will cut away at some of the original cocktail's sweetness for a heavier taste while switching it up with coconut rum will enhance the drink's bright coconut flavor. If you're feeling particularly inventive, you can even use spiced rum for a rich and heady flavor that's best enjoyed out of the sunlight and in the shade.
Piña Colada Party All Summer Long
Piña coladas are the perfect smooth and rich cocktails for the coconut lovers of the world, and with the rum's added kick, every sip will give you just enough of a buzz to help you cope with the worst of the summertime's beachfront crowds as everyone fights for space on the beach. And, if you love bananas, try a tasty banana colada or BBC (bananas and Baileys colada) drink.
