Piña Colada (Puerto Rican Coconut-Pineapple Cocktail)
A creamy, frosty Piña Colada made with pineapple juice, coconut cream, white rum, and ice.
Equipment
- Blender
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- 2 hurricane or tall cocktail glasses
Ingredients
Piña Colada
- ½ cup 120 ml cream of coconut
- ½ cup 120 ml pineapple juice
- ¼ cup 60 ml / 2 fl oz white rum
- 1 cup about 140 g ice
Optional Garnish
- 2 small pineapple wedges
- 2 maraschino cherries
Instructions
Blend the Cocktail
- Add the cream of coconut, pineapple juice, white rum, and ice to a blender.
- Blend on medium-high speed until the ice is completely crushed and the mixture is smooth, thick, and frosty, about 20–30 seconds.
- Stop the blender and check the consistency. If the drink is too thick to pour easily, blend in 1–2 tablespoons of pineapple juice at a time. If it is too thin, add a few more ice cubes and blend briefly.
- Pour immediately into two chilled hurricane or tall glasses.
- Garnish each cocktail with a small pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Cream of coconut: Use sweetened cream of coconut, not plain coconut cream or unsweetened coconut milk. The sweetness and consistency are important to the finished drink.
Rum: White rum gives the cleanest classic profile. The Puerto Rican tradition is strongly associated with rum, but the exact rum brand is a personal preference.
Non-alcoholic version: Omit the rum and replace it with ¼ cup pineapple juice or coconut milk. Blend with the other ingredients until smooth.
Make ahead: Piña Colada is best served immediately because the ice begins melting as soon as it is blended. For a party, measure the liquid ingredients ahead of time and blend each batch just before serving.
Storage: Do not store the finished blended drink for extended periods. Refrigerating it will cause the ice to melt and the texture to separate.
Food safety: Keep pineapple juice and cream of coconut refrigerated according to their package instructions. Do not serve alcoholic cocktails to anyone under the legal drinking age in the applicable jurisdiction.