Piña Colada
Encyclopedia
The piña colada is a sweet, rum
-based cocktail
made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple
juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge or a maraschino cherry
or both. The piña colada has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico
since 1978.
" (which is the pioneer) was invented in 1954 in the University of Puerto Rico
by Ramón López Irizarry
. This story is confirmed by José L. Díaz De Villegas in his book "Puerto Rico La Gran Cocina Del Caribe".
. After spending months perfecting the recipe, Mr. Marrero created and sold the first Piña Colada on August 15, 1954, while working as the head bartender at the Caribe Hilton International Hotel, the most popular hotel in Puerto Rico among the 1950s. Mr. Marrero subsequently received numerous awards and recognition for his creation. Notably, in 1978, Mr. Marrero was presented with an award for selling the three-millionth Piña Colada by Coco Lopez, the maker of the coconut cream used in the drink. On the same day, the government declared the Piña Colada to be the official drink of Puerto Rico.
("El Pirata Cofresí"), to boost his crew's morale, gave them a beverage or cocktail that contained coconut, pineapple and white rum. This was what would be later known as the famous piña colada. With his death in 1825, the recipe for the piña colada was lost.
The earliest known reference to a drink specifically called a piña colada is from TRAVEL magazine, December 1922:
It is also claimed that piña colada was introduced on August 16, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton
’s Beachcomber Bar
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
by Ramon Marrero. Apparently, the hotel management had expressly requested Monchito to mix a new signature drink that would delight the demanding palates of its starstudded clientele. Monchito accepted the challenge, and after 3 intense months of blending, shaking and experimenting, the first piña colada was born.
Barcelona-born Hilton employee Ricardo Gracia claims to have invented the contended drink in 1954 under a series of fortuitous circumstances. Rumor has it that while Gracia worked at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan de Puerto Rico, the coconut cutters’ union decided to strike. Until that moment, the Puerto Rican drink of choice had been the popular Coco-Loco, a mix of coconut milk, rum and coconut cream served inside a fresh macheted coconut. When the coconut supply was halted by the strike, resourceful Ricardo Gracia made the executive decision to relocate the ingredients of the Coco-Loco inside hollowed out pineapples (evidently the pineapple cutters’ union had not followed suit with a strike of their own). Once the coconut flavor and rum came into contact with the sweet acidity of the pineapple pulp, the piña colada was inevitably born.
Barrachina, a restaurant in Puerto Rico, also claims to be the birth place of the piña colada:
released his song "Escape", commonly known as "The Piña Colada Song".
or shaker with crushed ice, and blend or shake very well until smooth. Pour into chilled glass, garnish with pineapple wedge and/or a maraschino cherry.
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
-based cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge or a maraschino cherry
Maraschino cherry
A maraschino cherry is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties...
or both. The piña colada has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
since 1978.
Origin
The Piña Colada was introduced on August 16, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico by its alleged creator, Ramon "Monchito" Marrero. Apparently, the hotel management had expressly requested Monchito to mix a new signature drink that would delight the demanding palates of its starstudded clientele. Monchito accepted the challenge, and after 3 intense months of blending, shaking and experimenting, the first Piña Colada was born. This story is more credible because the Piña Colada contains cream of coconut as one of the primary ingredients, and the cream of coconut "Coco LópezCoco Lopez
Coco López is a Puerto Rican coconut product which is used in many popular drinks."Coco López" was invented by Ramón López Irizarry, who was an agricultural professor for the University of Puerto Rico. With funds from the government, he worked on his idea inside a small laboratory that he owned...
" (which is the pioneer) was invented in 1954 in the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
by Ramón López Irizarry
Ramon Lopez Irizarry
Ramón Lopez-Irizarry was an educator and scientist who invented an easier way to extract the cream from the coconut pulp and developed the original formula of Coco López.-Early years:...
. This story is confirmed by José L. Díaz De Villegas in his book "Puerto Rico La Gran Cocina Del Caribe".
The Original Piña Colada
The bartender widely recognized as being the creator of the Piña Colada, Mr. Ramon Marrero, created the drink using DonQ rumDon Q
Don Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
. After spending months perfecting the recipe, Mr. Marrero created and sold the first Piña Colada on August 15, 1954, while working as the head bartender at the Caribe Hilton International Hotel, the most popular hotel in Puerto Rico among the 1950s. Mr. Marrero subsequently received numerous awards and recognition for his creation. Notably, in 1978, Mr. Marrero was presented with an award for selling the three-millionth Piña Colada by Coco Lopez, the maker of the coconut cream used in the drink. On the same day, the government declared the Piña Colada to be the official drink of Puerto Rico.
Other stories
The earliest known story states that in the 1800s, Puerto Rican pirate Roberto CofresíRoberto Cofresí
Roberto Cofresí , better known as "El Pirata Cofresí", was the most renowned pirate in Puerto Rico. He became interested in sailing at a young age. By the time he reached adulthood there were some political and economic difficulties in Puerto Rico, which at the time was a colony of Spain...
("El Pirata Cofresí"), to boost his crew's morale, gave them a beverage or cocktail that contained coconut, pineapple and white rum. This was what would be later known as the famous piña colada. With his death in 1825, the recipe for the piña colada was lost.
The earliest known reference to a drink specifically called a piña colada is from TRAVEL magazine, December 1922:
But best of all is a piña colada, the juice of a perfectly ripe pineapple—a delicious drink in itself—rapidly shaken up with ice, sugar, lime and Bacardi rum in delicate proportions. What could be more luscious, more mellow and more fragrant?The above quote describes a drink without coconut, as the piña colada was originally just the juice of a fresh pineapple served either strained (colada) or unstrained (sin colar). This evolved into a rum drink, and finally it changed into the drink we know today.
Caribe Hilton Hotel
The Caribe Hilton Hotel, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is one of the best-known hotels in the Caribbean. It was the first facility ever operated by Hilton Hotels outside of the continental United States....
’s Beachcomber Bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
by Ramon Marrero. Apparently, the hotel management had expressly requested Monchito to mix a new signature drink that would delight the demanding palates of its starstudded clientele. Monchito accepted the challenge, and after 3 intense months of blending, shaking and experimenting, the first piña colada was born.
Barcelona-born Hilton employee Ricardo Gracia claims to have invented the contended drink in 1954 under a series of fortuitous circumstances. Rumor has it that while Gracia worked at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan de Puerto Rico, the coconut cutters’ union decided to strike. Until that moment, the Puerto Rican drink of choice had been the popular Coco-Loco, a mix of coconut milk, rum and coconut cream served inside a fresh macheted coconut. When the coconut supply was halted by the strike, resourceful Ricardo Gracia made the executive decision to relocate the ingredients of the Coco-Loco inside hollowed out pineapples (evidently the pineapple cutters’ union had not followed suit with a strike of their own). Once the coconut flavor and rum came into contact with the sweet acidity of the pineapple pulp, the piña colada was inevitably born.
Barrachina, a restaurant in Puerto Rico, also claims to be the birth place of the piña colada:
In 1963, on a trip to South America Mr Barrachina met another popular Spaniard and bartender Mr. Ramon Portas Mingot. Don Ramon has worked with the best places in Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and associated with 'Papillon' the most luxurious bar in Carcao and was also recognized for his cocktail recipe books. Pepe Barrachina and Don Ramon developed a great relationship. While working as the main bartender at Barrachina (a restaurant in Puerto Rico), Ramon mixed pineapple juice, coconut cream, condensed milk and ice in a blender, creating a delicious and refreshing drink, known today as the Piña Colada.
Popularity
This cocktail has been famous in Puerto Rico since 1978, and it became more widely known after Rupert HolmesRupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes is an American-British composer, singer-songwriter, musician and author of plays, novels and stories. He is best known for his number one pop hit "Escape " and the song "Him", which reached the number 6 position on the Hot 100 U.S. pop chart in 1980...
released his song "Escape", commonly known as "The Piña Colada Song".
Preparation
There are many recipes of how to make a piña colada but the one that his friends tell in the book of José L. Díaz De Villegas to be the original recipe created by Monchito, is the following, pour 3 ounces of coconut cream, 6 ounces of pineapple juice and 1 1/2 ounces of white rum into a blenderBlender
A blender is a kitchen appliance for chopping or liquefying food.Blender may also refer to:Media:* Blender , a music-themed magazine* Blender , a free and open-source software program for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering...
or shaker with crushed ice, and blend or shake very well until smooth. Pour into chilled glass, garnish with pineapple wedge and/or a maraschino cherry.
Variations
- Different proportions may be used. For example, 1 part rum, 2 each of pineapple juice and coconut cream.
- Dark rum may be used.
- Amaretto colada — amarettoAmarettoAmaretto is an Italian sweet almond-flavoured liqueur. It is made from a base of apricot or almond pits, sometimes both.-Etymology:The name is a diminutive of the Italian amaro, meaning "bitter," indicating the distinctive flavour lent by the mandorla amara--the bitter almond or the drupe kernel...
substituted for rum - Belizean piña colada — evaporated milkEvaporated milkEvaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits ...
(e.g., PET Evaporated MilkPet, Inc.Pet, Inc., was an American company that was the first to commercially produce evaporated milk as a shelf-stable consumer product and later became a multi-brand food products conglomerate. Its signature product, PET Evaporated Milk, is now a product of The J.M. Smucker Co...
) instead of coconut cream - Caribou Lou - Malibu RumMalibu RumMalibu Rum is a flavored rum made with natural coconut extract, possessing an alcohol content by volume of 21.0% . The brand is owned by Pernod Ricard and it is made in Canada.-History:...
, pineapple juice and 151 rum - Iguana Colada - piña colada with Midori
- Kahlúa Colada — substitute KahlúaKahlúaKahlúa is a Mexican coffee-flavored rum-based liqueur. It is dense and sweet, with the distinct taste of coffee, from which it is made. Kahlúa also contains sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean.-History:...
for the rum - King Henry or Chi Chi — vodkaVodkaVodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
substituted for rum - Lava Flow — strawberry daiquiriDaiquiriDaiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, lime juice, and sugar or other sweetener. There are several versions, but those that gained international fame are the ones made in the El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba....
and piña colada blended together - Marula Colada - AmarulaAmarulaAmarula is a cream liqueur manufactured in South Africa. It is made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African Marula tree which is also locally called the Elephant tree or the Marriage Tree. It has an alcohol content of 17% by volume...
instead of rum - Miami Vice — 1/2 strawberry daiquiriDaiquiriDaiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, lime juice, and sugar or other sweetener. There are several versions, but those that gained international fame are the ones made in the El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba....
poured over 1/2 piña colada (use frozen versions of each, and do not blend together) - Staten Island FerryStaten Island Ferry (cocktail)A Staten Island Ferry is a cocktail consisting of equal parts Malibu Rum and pineapple juice served over ice. In flavor it resembles a Piña Colada but does not require coconut cream, and thus is more easily mixed in bars that lack the specialty ingredients and blender that a Piña Colada would...
— coconut rum and pineapple juice over ice - Virgin piña colada or piñita colada — without the rum
See also
- Coco LópezCoco LopezCoco López is a Puerto Rican coconut product which is used in many popular drinks."Coco López" was invented by Ramón López Irizarry, who was an agricultural professor for the University of Puerto Rico. With funds from the government, he worked on his idea inside a small laboratory that he owned...
- "Escape" - also known as "The Piña Colada Song"
- Ramón López IrizarryRamon Lopez IrizarryRamón Lopez-Irizarry was an educator and scientist who invented an easier way to extract the cream from the coconut pulp and developed the original formula of Coco López.-Early years:...