Cocktail Changeup: 8 Ways to Make a Piña Colada
Maiden Name, photo by Shannon Sturgis
If you like Piña Coladas, here are ways to make them at home (rain optional).
Rupert Holmes was so right: it can be argued that no drink says “escape” quite like the tropical Piña Colada. The epic trio of rum, pineapple and coconut cream is wonderfully sweet and calls to mind lazy days lounging on sandy beaches. But you don’t have to be posted up poolside or wading in the ocean to enjoy this frosty classic.
Here, beverage industry experts share their favorite takes on the Piña Colada that are easy to whip up at home. The next time the temperature hits a record high—or when you’re simply craving a moment of escape—mix up one of these cocktails and be transported to your own moment of zen.
Maiden Name
Recipe courtesy of Ivy Mix, author of Spirits of Latin America
Ivy Mix—James Beard-nominated bartender, owner of Brooklyn bar Leyenda and co-founder of Speed Rack—just released her first cocktail book, Spirits of Latin America. As an avid fan of the Piña Colada, Mix decided to include her own variation in the new recipe book. “In making this variant, I wanted to amplify the basic recipe a little,” she says. “Rather than using a light rum that doesn’t bring much to the fat of the coconut, I used cachaça. I also elected to ditch the pineapple and obtain my fruit notes from passion fruit instead.”
2 oz. Avuá Prata Cachaça
.5 oz. lime juice
.75 oz. vanilla syrup
1 oz. coco biz (1:1 Coconut milk and Coco Lopez)
Heavy .25 oz. cinnamon syrup
Heavy .25 oz. lilikoi (instructions follow)
Add all ingredients to a blender with a cup of ice and blend until smooth and integrated. Pour into a tiki mug. Garnish with grated nutmeg and 2 pineapple fronds.
Lilikoi
Add 3 parts Perfect Purée Passion Fruit to one part superfine sugar and blend until dissolved.
Copalli Piña Colada
Recipe courtesy of Julie Reiner, Global Ambassador, of Copalli Rum
Copalli is a single-estate, organic rum that’s made in Belize using nothing but heirloom sugar cane, yeast and filtered rainforest canopy water. Here, renowned mixologist Julie Reiner blends the cocktail-friendly spirit into a rich, cinnamon-flecked Piña Colada varation.
2 oz. Copalli White Rum
1.5 oz. pineapple juice
.5 oz. fresh lime juice
.75 oz. cinnamon bark syrup (instructions follow)
1 oz. coconut cream (like Coco Lopez)
Add all ingredients to a blender with ice, and blend until smooth. Serve in a tropical stemmed glass and garnish with a lime wheel, umbrella and pineapple leaves.
Rummy Days, photo courtesy Tipsy Scoop
Homemade Cinnamon Bark Syrup
In a saucepan, muddle .5 oz. cassia cinnamon bark or 5 cinnamon sticks into tiny pieces. Add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water and heat over medium heat, stirring periodically so the sugar doesn't burn and stick to the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, keep covered and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal or glass container with a lid. The syrup will keep for about one month in the refrigerator. (Makes 1.5 cups)
Rummy Days
Recipe courtesy of Melissa Tavss, Founder of Tipsy Scoop
If you’re in the mood for an extra decadent Piña Colada that can beat the heat on the hottest of days, this variation calls for rum, off-dry moscato wine and cooling, liquor-infused Tipsy Scoop ice cream. It’s like a tropical, grown-up milkshake that satisfies whether you’re drinking it for brunch or dessert.
3 oz. moscato wine
2 oz. white rum
3 oz. pineapple juice
2 scoops Tipsy Scoop Vegan Piña Colada Ice Cream
Place the ice cream scoops in a tall glass and top with the rest of the ingredients. Stir for one minute and serve.
Masala Colada
Recipe courtesy of The Turk’s Inn, Brooklyn
When The Turk’s Inn opened in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood last summer, this frozen drink—served in their rooftop garden—was an instant hit. And while it’s nearly impossible to recreate the modern supper club’s Masala Colada exactly without industrial equipment, this recipe will get you damn close. This recipe makes about a gallon’s worth of cocktail, so feel free to cut the recipe in half or share with friends.
Masala Colada, photo courtesy the Turk’s Inn
Note: this drink requires overnight freezing, so plan ahead.
one 15 oz. can Coco Lopez
4.5 cups pineapple juice
1 cup light rum (such as Cruzan Estate or El Dorado 3 Year)
.5 cup dark rum
3 tbsp. sugar
.25 cup unsweetened dried chai spiced tea blend
5 cups water
Heat two cups of water to just below a boil. Add sugar and tea blend. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. Combine the rum and Coco Lopez. Strain the tea from the hot water and add to the Coco Lopez-rum mixture. Whisk all of this together until smooth. The alcohol and hot water will melt the coconut fat, which will help you get a smoother drink. Add the pineapple juice and extra water, and mix until incorporated. Pour the final mixture into a large ziplock freezer bag and place in your freezer to sit overnight, occasionally mixing the bag to make sure the coconut fat doesn't separate. Once it is ready to serve, simply cut one corner off the freezer bag to create something that resembles a cake frosting bag. Squeeze it into glasses, serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg on top, and maybe an umbrella or other silly garnish. Drink it down with your friends.
The Escape, photo by Paul Wagtouicz
The Escape
Recipe courtesy of Amanda Schuster, author of New York Cocktails, via the Rum House, New York City
This recipe comes from our very own Amanda Schuster, Senior Editor in Chief of Alcohol Professor, and her book New York Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Big Apple, The Escape was invented by The Rum House, which is like a cocktail oasis in a sea of touristy Times Square destinations. Here, sweet vermouth is added as a float to a traditional Piña Colada to give it a nuanced herbal tinge.
2 oz. dark rum
1 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. Coco Lopez
.75 oz. sweet vermouth (for a float)
Pineapple slice, for garnish (optional)
Shake all liquid ingredients except vermouth with ice (or blend if you prefer). Strain into a large rocks glass or cocktail glass if shaken, pour it all in if blended. Float the vermouth over the top with a spoon. Garnish if desired.
Equiano Colada
Recipe courtesy of Ian Burrell, Global Ambassador and Co-Creator of Equiano Rum
Equiano Rum is a beautiful marriage of east and west. The limited batch blend comes from two of the world’s best emerging rum distilleries, Gray’s in Mauritius and Foursquare in Barbados. Equiano Global Ambassador Ian Burrell created a lighter take on the classic Piña Colada that really allows the rum’s oak, anise and orange notes to shine.
2 oz. Equiano Rum
3 oz. coconut Water
.5 oz. Piña Reàl or pineapple purée
1 dash cocoa or chocolate bitters
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with plenty of ice and stir until cold. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a fresh pineapple leaf with a drizzle of coconut puree.
The Equiano Colada, courtesy Equiano Rum
Absente Colada
Recipe courtesy of Rhum Barbancourt and mixologist Maxwell Britten
Absinthe and crème de menthe give this Piña Colada variation a cooling, fresh flavor that plays nicely with tropical pineapple and coconut. While this variation calls for fruity, grassy Rhum Barbancourt from Haiti, use a traditional rhum agricole from Martinique if you want to impart a funkier, vegetal-forward flavor to the drink.
.5 oz. Rhum Barbancourt 5 Star 8 Year
1 oz. Grande Absente
1 tsp. crème de menthe
1 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. coconut syrup
Mint bouquet, for garnish
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain over crushed ice in a Collins or hurricane glass. Garnish with a mint bouquet.
The Epic
Recipe courtesy of Joy Spence, Master Blender of Appleton Estate
Appleton Estate 8 Year Old Reserve Rum is one of those beautiful spirits that shines whether it’s sipped neat or mixed into a cocktail, and Master Blender Joy Spence knows exactly how to play up its caramelized, honeyed notes. She simply cuts the top off a coconut, pours out some of the water, adds Appleton Estate 8 Year and sips the mix through a straw. If you’re looking for an easy, breezy summer drink that channels the beachy Jamaican lifestyle, this is it.