A sweet, rum-based cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice, the Piña Colada’s origin is contested by three Puerto Rican bartenders.

Ramón ‘Monchito’ Marrero Pérez claims to have first made the cocktail at the Caribe Hilton Hotel’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan in August 1952, using the newly-available Coco López cream of coconut. Coco López was developed in Puerto Rico in 1948 by Don Ramón López-Irizarry, hence the Puerto Rican connection and the 1952 account of the drink’s creation. Some say the drink did not acquire its name until the 1960s.

Ricardo García, who also worked at the Caribe, says that it was he who invented the drink, while Ramón Portas Mingot says he created it in 1963 at the Barrachina Restaurant. The restaurant stands by his claim to this day.

National Piña Colada Day is celebrated on the islands on 10th July.

Ingredients:
Ice
35ml white rum
1 tbsp coconut-flavoured rum
50ml coconut cream
50ml pineapple juice
3-4 pineapple chunks
Pineapple slice and maraschino cherry to garnish

Method:
1. Pour the two rums, coconut cream, pineapple juice and chunks of pineapple into a blender and blend until smooth.

2. To serve, pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with a pineapple slice and a maraschino cherry.

Why not have a Mocktail?
For a non-alcoholic alternative, mix 60ml coconut milk, 50ml crushed pineapple, 25ml pineapple juice, ice and 1tsp brown sugar.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY