Piña Colada

by Jen

The Piña Colada is a summertime classic that deserves more respect than it gets. It may be sweet and it may be palatable to people who don’t drink much or are just starting, but it’s a wonderful treat for seasoned cocktail lovers, too.

The classic recipe is simply one part white rum, one part coconut cream and three parts pineapple juice, and it’s delicious. But there are some other options.

Piña Colada

• 1 jigger of white rum
• 1 ounce of dark rum
• 1 jigger coconut cream (Coco Lopez is the best choice – whatever you pick, just avoid coconut milk)
• 1 ounce of heavy cream
• 3 ounces of pineapple juice
• 1 dash of Angostura bitters

Put everything in a blender, adding ice if you like, and blend it for about 15 seconds. Pour it into a hurricane glass and garnish with a slice of pineapple and/or maraschino cherry. This is a great drink for parties, especially if you have non-drinkers among your guests – the non-alcoholic piña colada tastes awesome.

Salad!

Honestly, the Piña Colada goes with just about any food. But one really great snack or appetizer to pair with it is fried plantain chips – the recipe I’ve linked here is not at all sweet, and the salty, starchy contrast with the drink is a lot of fun. For a meal choice, dinner salads work well with this somewhat heavy drink. Check out hoisin chicken salad or spinach salad with strawberries.

Posted in Pineapple Juice, Rum on July 1, 2009