The Beach is Calling

Nothing says Beach Holiday quite like a Pina Colada. And, if you are one of the millions who love sipping them by the seashore, today is your luck day. It’s national Pina Colada day. And, the Beach is calling…

It’s just 3 ingredients: Rum, pineapple, and Cream of Coconut. So, it’s hard to get it wrong. And after a few of them, who cares? That is why it’s the quintessential beach or holiday drink. All your cares float away. But, where did this wonderful drink come from? And, what did people drink before it?

Supposedly, there was a Puerto Rican pirate, Roberto Cofresi in the Early 19th century who made them for his crew to boost morale. The recipe disappeared after his death in 1825. In the 1950’s, It made a resurgence. A bartender at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in Puerto Rico claims to have invented the drink. And, the Puerto Rican government has sanctioned that claim. In 1978, they declared the Pina Colada the official drink of the Island. While there is little to no documentation of other incarnations of the drink, anyone claiming to have invented it is probably lying. If you have ever been to any tropical port, you know that Pineapple, coconut, and rum are abundant. The chance that noone else combined them is impossible. But, they did popularize it. So, let’s go with that.

The Beach is Calling for a pineapple and rum drink

The name Pina colada is Spanish. The translation is Strained pineapple. If it weren’t for the image we have, that name wouldn’t really capture the essence of this quintessential beach concoction. Everyone has an image of a frosty pina colada sipped at a beach or pool in a tropical setting. But, it doesn’t have to stay at the beach. You can drink them every day. Think of it like supersize me with rum. But, be careful. We do not condone nor recommend drinking nothing but pina coladas for an extended period of time. So, on second thought, just drink them occasionally. But, enjoy them. And, take time to explore the actual health benefits of this taste of the tropics in a glass.

Beneficial ingredients

Let’s start with pineapple: it’s loaded with Vitamin C, manganese, and a moderate amount of several B vitamins and other nutrients. Pineapples are also a good source of anti-oxidants, contributing to better heart health and immunity. Plus, it can be helpful with digestion. And, it is helpful in preventing cancer and other diseases. Another beneficial effect is it has healing properties, helping people after surgeries.

Coconut cream has a lot of fiber and healthy fats that give energy, but don’t store as body fat as easily as other types. And, it has “good cholesterol”, so it actually lowers your bad cholesterol levels. And, it has antioxidants as well. Of course, Coconut cream also has a lot of saturated fat, and is high in calories. So, some of those issues offset some of the healthy benefits. But, overall, it is beneficial compared to alternative fatty liquid such as dairy. So, let’s call it a net positive.

Rum comes in many forms. There are light amber, dark, black, and spiced rums. It is an alcohol derived fro sugar cane. As such, the sugar content is high. And, you can get some pretty strong rum since alcohol is a by product of yeast eating sugar. But, it still has some health benefits. Most notably, it actually helps lower cholesterol.

So, even though drinking alcohol and high sugar products isn’t great for your body overall, Pina coladas have a plethora of health benefits going for them. So, drink up: The Beach is Calling.

Get out the girl drink Umbrellas

Thanks to the sweetness of rum, it is often the base of many “girl drinks”. According to macho manly men, if it’s sweet and fruity, it’s not a real drink. But, these sweet drinks are actually more potent than the rot gut many manly men seek to get drunk. These are so pleasant going down, you don’t realize how drunk you are getting until it’s too late. If you are worried about appearances, you can skip the tiny umbrellas and ostentatious garnishes and just top with a lime wedge. With or without a straw and fancy accoutrements, there is nothing quite like a pina colada. If you have a problem with coconut and pineapple, try one of our other rum drinks like a Mojito or Daiquiri.

But, if you want a tropical experience, whether or not you’re at the beach, it’s time to celebrate the three most recognizable flavors of the tropics: Pina colada. If you really want to make a visual statement, try hollowing out a pineapple of coconut as the vehicle for serving the drink. Or just use an old school glass. Remember, it’s about what’s inside that matters. And, don’t forget, the beach is calling…

So, without further ado, Here is your pina Colada recipe

While most recipes call for pineapple juice, we choose to use a fresh pineapple. It makes for a fresher, more unique drink. If you have a strong blender with good enough blades, you don’t even need to strain it. We used a Ninja blender for this particular one. It has a multi-tiered blade that real turns the pineapple into juice. Of course, any pro chef or bartender will direct you to a vita mix blender. They do the best purees. But, if that isn’t in your budget, get any professional grade blender you can. If your blender isn’t good enough to turn the pulp into liquid, you can always strain out the unwanted pulp ( or leave it in if you don’t mind chunks in your drink).

And, feel free to play around with different flavors. Try adding other tropical fruits like passion fruit, Banana, mango, papaya, or guava. You can get funky colors and flavors to remember.

No matter how you do it, don’t forget the most important health benefit of the pina colada: relaxation!

Whole Fruit Pina Colada

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine Beach, Cocktails, Easter Island, Tropical

Servings 4 Drinks

Ingredients

  

• 1 Whole Large Pineapple Super ripe
• 1 Can Cream of coconut (sweetened) 15 ounces
• 8 to 12 OZ Golden Rum
• 1 Medium Lime
• Ice

Instructions

 

• Remove top and bottom from pineapple. Split in 1/2 lengthwise. Cut 1 of the halves in 1/2 again. Peel the full half and one of the quarters. Then cut the large half in half again. Cut out the tough core from all 4 quarters. Cut slices from the unskinned piece to make garnishes. Put a slit partway through the slices so you can hang them on the glasses for garnish. Cut the rest of the pineapple into chunks.

  While you are cutting, Cut some lime wedges and cut a slit in the wedges so they can hang on the glass as well.
• Put the peeled chunks of pineapple in a blender. Blend at high speed or puree setting until it becomes liquid. Add the Rum, coconut cream, and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour in a glass or preferred serving vehicle. Garnish, and enjoy.

Notes

Pick the ripest pineapple you can, There is a variation called golden ripe. These tend to work best. And, they are generally more consistent. If your pineapple isn’t that sweet, you can always add a little agave or honey to sweeten it.

The cream of coconut is important. The most common brand is coco lopez. You want coconut cream because it is sweet. You can substitute a high fat canned coconut milk. But, don’t forget to sweeten it. For the drinks in our picture, we used coconut milk sweetened with agave.

The type of rum is up to you. We used Gosslings golden rum for the Sweetness factor, and as an accent to the golden ripe pineapple. Since we want the natural fruit of the pineapple to shine, I would avoid spiced rum. And, dark rum will discolor the drink. White, gold, and amber work best.

You will notice a more yellow hue in our drink than most pina coladas. This is from the fresh pineapple and golden rum. Most recipes use pineapple juice and white rum. So, the coconut cream is the most prominent ingredient. Ours highlights the pineapple.

Keyword Beach, Coconut, Garnishes, Pina Colada, Pineapple, Pool, Rum, Tropical, Whole Fruit