Puerto Rico and Pina Colada go hand in hand; in fact it has been the official drink of the island since 1978. You will find it everywhere, bars, restaurants, roadside kiosks with or without rum, so do yourself a favor when you are here; try one or two Pina Coladas and see why it is so popular.
Now, everyone agrees that the humble Pina Colada was born in Puerto Rico, but folks can’t seem to agree on exactly who invented it. There are two camps that claim they invented Puerto Rico’s National Drink: The Caribe Hilton Hotel and Barrachina Restaurant in Old San Juan.
The Caribe Hilton lays claim to the earliest birth date of 1954, when their bartender Ramon “Monchito” Marrero made his first Pina Colada
On the other side though, a plaque outside the Barrachina Restaurant in Old San Juan proudly proclaims that the Pina Colada was created by Ramon Portas Mingot in 1963.
Now I have to say that I have tried a Barrachina Pina Colada and it was very good, but then again I have tried them at several places around the island and they too have been excellent.
Personally not being a historian or around at the time of the creation of the drink I will sit on the fence and go with Puerto Rico as the birthplace of the Pina Colada.
All I will say is that you should try one for yourself…
If you cannot make it to Puerto Rico to try one for yourself, you could always head to the supermarket grab a few ingredients and prepare your very own Puerto Rican Pina Colada,
To help you get started here are the recipes from the Caribe Hilton and Barrachina Restaurant
Caribe Hilton Pina Colada Recipe
- 2 oz rum
- 1 oz coconut cream
- 1 oz heavy cream
- 6 oz fresh pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup crushed ice
- Mix the rum, cream of coconut, heavy cream and pineapple juice in a blender.
- Add ice and mix for 15 seconds.
- Pour into a 12-oz. glass, garnish with fresh pineapple and a cherry.
Barrachina Pina Colada Recipe
- 48 oz Pineapple Juice – Cans
- 15 oz of Coconut Cream (Coco Lopez or Goya)
- 10 oz of Water (If you use ice and a blender, do not add the water)
- Barrachina recommends that you do not mix the blend with ice. Instead freeze the mix stirring occasionally until frozen
- Then add rum (to your taste) into a glass and add the frozen mix. Decorate with a cherry and pinaeapple chunks.
As you can see both recipes take a different approach and if you google ‘Pina Colada Recipe’ you will find even more variations.
My advice, pick a recipe and play around with the ratios of coconut cream, pineapple and rum until you find a combination that you love.
ENJOY….
If you have a favorite Pina Colada Recipe that you love, why not share it in the comments below
Resource: Pina Colada by ruben i on Flickr using Creative Commons license
