Ultra-Tropical Piña Colada Recipe

Taste the tropics, not ice water.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Jul. 23, 2019
20170707-pina-colada-vicky-wasik-1.jpg
Photographs: Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Freezing the ingredients first means you can use less ice, leading to a more flavorful, less diluted drink.
  • Ripe fresh pineapple or canned pineapple chunks are more flavorful than pineapple juice, plus their fiber helps thicken the drink.
  • Coconut cream has a more natural flavor than Coco Lopez.
  • Measuring solids by weight gives you better control over the ingredient ratios.

A good piña colada should instantly transport you to warm sandy beaches and turquoise waters. What we don't want is a drink that tastes weak and watery, nor artificially tropical, as if someone dumped a bottle of tanning oil into the blender. This version produces a slushy frozen cocktail full of ripe pineapple and rich coconut flavor. Plus a good, strong hit of rum.

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Active: 10 mins
Total: 70 mins
Makes: 1 drink

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces (140g) very ripe peeled and cored fresh pineapple, frozen pineapple, or drained canned pineapple chunks (see note)
  • 1 3/4 ounces (50ml) unsweetened coconut cream, shaken or stirred well to incorporate fat
  • 1 ounce (30ml) simple syrup (see note)
  • 3/4 to 1 ounce (20-30ml) fresh juice from 1 lime
  • 2 1/2 ounces (75ml) white or gold rum, kept in freezer until freezer-cold
  • 4 ounces (115g) ice cubes
  • Pineapple slice and/or maraschino cherry, for garnish
  • Paper umbrella and straw, for serving (optional)

Directions

  1. In an airtight plastic container, combine pineapple, coconut cream, simple syrup, and 3/4 ounce lime juice, and transfer to freezer until frozen, at least one hour (the sugar in the mixture may prevent it from freezing solid; this is okay).

  2. In a blender, combine frozen pineapple mixture with ice-cold rum and ice and blend until thick and slushy. Taste, then blend in the remaining 1/4 ounce lime juice, if desired. Pour into a large glass, garnish with pineapple and/or a cherry, and serve, with or without an paper umbrella and straw.

  3. If you want to make multiple drinks, you can pre-batch up to a double recipe (a blender may not hold much more than that easily) in a single container, then divide after blending; for more than two drinks, use separate containers to hold more servings.

Special equipment

Blender

Notes

Only use fresh pineapple if you can find a truly ripe and sweet fruit; otherwise frozen or canned will be better. To make simple syrup, combine equal volumes of granulated sugar and water, then stir until sugar is completely dissolved; extra simple syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The pre-batched frozen ingredients can be assembled and kept in the freezer up to 12 hours before serving.

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