Piña Colada

[jaybee]

One of my favorite summertime drinks.  I use Coco Lopez coconut creme, Dole pineapple juice and Bacardi gold or white rum, lots of ice in the blender and a tall glass.  Simple and delicious.  Ratios:  4 oz coconut, 3 oz. pineapple juice, 2 oz. rum.  Any improvements on this recipe?

[Thomas Secor]

Not a huge fan of the pina colada generally, but I do enjoy it every once in a while.  One quick way to vastly improve the quality is to use fresh pineapple juice.

My other improvements are likely to be particular to my own tastes.  I would use a darker and (although some would consider it sacrilege) better rum.  Nothing fantastic though, for instance something like a Havana Club 3 year old or a Brugal anejo.  I might also add a twist of lime to a drink like the pina colada, to cut the sweetness.

Something about the London weather though, is just not pushing me in the direction of that pina colada.

[Miss J]

Something about the London weather though, is just not pushing me in the direction of that pina colada.

Even last night? Thomas, it was positively tropical out there. If I hadn't been in Soho, I would instead have chosen to be lying out in Hoxton Square with one of the Lux Bar's divine caiprinihas in my hand.  

Back on topic - I'd vote for dark rum and fresh juice as well.

Miss J

[jaybee]

Fresh pineapple.  That sounds good.  Bacardi make some dark and aged rums too.  Añejo, Bacardi 8.  I never found Havana Club anythng more than marketing hype, unlike Cuban cigars, that really are different and better (IMO). Good idea on the piña.

[Wilfrid]

Memory suggests I have also had some fresh coconut in that drink, but I am struggling to recall how it was introduced - as coconut milk, or some ground flesh?  I don't know if anyone can confirm that?

About my favorite of the sorts of drinks you can stick umbrellas in.  

[Damian]

Coco Lopez is the gold standard for coconut creme - at least that what all the best pina coladas I had for two years in Puerto Rico were made with. One interesting twist I had was the addition of Pisang Ambon, an Asian banana liqueur.  Granted, this might mean you'd have to call it something other than a pina colada, but whatever it was it was fantastic.

I'll also add a vote for dark rum, the stronger flavor adds to and is not overpowered by the coco.

[monsuke fiend]

I make mine with a can of lopez and 1/3 to 1/2 of a fresh pinnapple, not the juice, the actual pineapple flesh. I puree these together, add rum, blend, and then add ice and blend again. With the fresh pinnapple you can really pick up on the more complex and tart flavors.

[Jason Perlow]

Bacardi Anejo is really a very ordinary rum. As far as coladas go, you want to use a dark rum or with a lot of character. Meyers is OK. Bacardi 8 itself is not a bad rum, as its the best thing Bacardi has going right now, but a waste to put into a colada.

I like to use Brugal Anejo or Cruzan Dark. Both inexpensive, but very flavorful dark rums.

Jaybee: you'll find many people in this forum disagree with you regarding Havana Club 7 and Anejo Reserva -- its one of the best mass produced rums in the world. If I could get it in the US it would be my mixer and everyday drinking rum of choice. I prefer the cuban Matusalem Anejo Superior, but its still damnned good.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have not had or prepared a pina colada for perhaps thirty years. This week pineapple has been on sale and I finally succumbed. I had no rum in house so this afternoon I got two bottles: JAD Busted Barrel (white, made from molasses) and Barbancourt 5 star (made from cane juice). Both rums to my taste are fine for drinking neat (as I've been sitting here doing, waiting to cool off) but I am unsure which or both to add to my pina colada(s). The International Bartenders Association calls for white rum in a pina colada while some here call for dark. And some recipes call for equal parts of white and dark. Guidance would be appreciated. Of the two choices Busted Barrel is smoother but the Barbancourt has a touch more flavor, is sweeter, and is acceptably smooth as well.

The last time I helped make pina coladas it went if anything too well. No one noticed that the recipe served three, and the rum was Demerara 151 proof. That made for about twelve times the alcohol intended. I think I only finished one but I don't remember much.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Fresh coconut, flesh and liquid from a perfectly ripe one (blender until creamy), fresh white pineapple juice (blendered and strained to remove pulp), Barba Negra aguardiente añejado.

Fresh coconut and pineapple make all the difference.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Fresh coconut, flesh and liquid from a perfectly ripe one (blender until creamy), fresh white pineapple juice (blendered and strained to remove pulp), Barba Negra aguardiente añejado.

Fresh coconut and pineapple make all the difference.

Google and google translate were not much help to me for the Barba Negra aguardiente añejado. My guess would be a South American black rum?

My coconut is a can of Coco Lopez, but the pineapple (whether white or not I cannot say) is fresh. I don't own a blender, except for an immersion blender. I'm currently trying to figure out how to cut open the pineapple. In my hands a real coconut would be laughable.

[FrogPrincesse]

I have not had or prepared a pina colada for perhaps thirty years. This week pineapple has been on sale and I finally succumbed. I had no rum in house so this afternoon I got two bottles: JAD Busted Barrel (white, made from molasses) and Barbancourt 5 star (made from cane juice). Both rums to my taste are fine for drinking neat (as I've been sitting here doing, waiting to cool off) but I am unsure which or both to add to my pina colada(s). The International Bartenders Association calls for white rum in a pina colada while some here call for dark. And some recipes call for equal parts of white and dark. Guidance would be appreciated. Of the two choices Busted Barrel is smoother but the Barbancourt has a touch more flavor, is sweeter, and is acceptably smooth as well.

The last time I helped make pina coladas it went if anything too well. No one noticed that the recipe served three, and the rum was Demerara 151 proof. That made for about twelve times the alcohol intended. I think I only finished one but I don't remember much.

I am not familiar with the first rum but I am sure that Barbancourt would make a great pina colada. You could try the Bartender's Choice ratios (they recommend an aged rum): 2 oz rum, 2 oz pineapple juice, 3/4 oz coco lopez, squeeze of lime juice. Shake with ice, strain into glass with fresh ice. For the pineapple try blending it as fine as you can and then strain the larger bits of pulp out to get the juice, otherwise the drink will be very foamy. Edited August 31, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

This is exciting! I just finished cutting and juicing the pineapple. It makes a mess, but the ripe fruit is so delicious. The flesh does not taste much like cut up pineapple I have been served before. And it is not very fibrous. I had always believed I could not eat fresh pineapple because the bits get horribly caught in my old teeth. I had no problem with this pineapple, even when I ate the core. Very strange. If asked I'd say it tastes like fruity, non-alcoholic rum.

I plan to strain the juice before using, just in case.

Busted Barrel is a new rum that just came on the market this month. It is made by a two person company. I posted about it here:

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144593-what-did-you-buy-at-the-liquor-store-today-2013/?p=1929440

Both the Barbancourt and the Busted Barrel (I love alliteration) were good to my taste, but the Busted Barrel was smoother so that is what I plan to try first. I was going to mix the two rums but I think it would be better to do one at a time. I have only one can of Coco Lopez, but a lot of pineapple and a lot of rum.

For the ratio, I think I'll try 2 parts Coco Lopez, 2 parts pineapple juice, 1 part Busted Barrel, and go on from there! Thanks for the help!

[FrogPrincesse]

It sounds like you got an excellent pineapple. Your description reminds me of the small ones I had in Tahiti that had a sweet core. Have fun!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Thanks! The drink took me a while to make but now I am enjoying it. (By the way another reason to strain the juice is the little fruit flies -- did I mention that the pineapple was fresh?) The cold Coco Lopez was hard to measure. In total I had 8 oz pineapple juice and Coco Lopez together but the ratio ended up more like 9 to 7 than 1 to 1. I can't taste the alcohol but I carefully measured 2 oz so I think it's in there somewhere.

I used my immersion blender, but the blending is not as thorough as it could be. The Coco Lopez is not totally smooth. I'm not sure what I can do about this short of purchasing a blender, which I don't really want to do. I wonder if the food processor would work?

More ice would have helped too, but all in all not bad for my first attempt this century. Oh, and I wish I had a straw.

[Adam George]

This is the Colada is used to serve at my last bar.

2oz Pampero Anejo

0.5oz Wray and Nephew

2.5oz Fresh Pineaple Juice

2oz Coco Lopez

0.5oz Lime Juice

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Blend with a couple of shallow scoops of nugget ice.

Garnish with fresh mint, lime husk with bitters dash on.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Fresh coconut, flesh and liquid from a perfectly ripe one (blender until creamy), fresh white pineapple juice (blendered and strained to remove pulp), Barba Negra aguardiente añejado.

Fresh coconut and pineapple make all the difference.

Google and google translate were not much help to me for the Barba Negra aguardiente añejado. My guess would be a South American black rum?

My coconut is a can of Coco Lopez, but the pineapple (whether white or not I cannot say) is fresh. I don't own a blender, except for an immersion blender. I'm currently trying to figure out how to cut open the pineapple. In my hands a real coconut would be laughable.

Barba Negra is the brand (Blackbeard - many of the good añejados are named for notable pirates); aguardiente añejado is barrel aged cane aguardiente. It's a product similar to rum in flavour and character, but which follows a slightly different production process. BN is actually more akin to a really good gold Caribbean rum; it's got nice depth and a good molasses finish without being too funky for the Piña Colada. In my personal opinion, white rum is too delicate for this drink, but black rum would overpower the play between the fruits, so gold and its kin are my go to spirits.

You'd know immediately if you had a white pineapple. The flesh is white, not yellow, and subtly more acidic and fragrant than you'd be used to. They're not exported all that much (too easy to bruise), so you basically have to live somewhere that they're grown or get very lucky at the grocery store. Mine are seedy, but I live in a land of hummingbirds. As for the coconut, I cheat a bit. I can get whole fresh coconuts that have had all of the husk chopped away by a very skilled guy with a machete, which means alls I have I to do is drain, cut them into pieces with my nakiri and stuff them in the blender...

My usual ratio is 2 parts pineapple, 2 parts coconut, 1 lime (squozen), and 1 part rum.

ETA, because I just saw this:

JoNorvelleWalker, on 30 Aug 2013 - 22:57, said:

This is exciting! I just finished cutting and juicing the pineapple. It makes a mess, but the ripe fruit is so delicious. The flesh does not taste much like cut up pineapple I have been served before. And it is not very fibrous. I had always believed I could not eat fresh pineapple because the bits get horribly caught in my old teeth. I had no problem with this pineapple, even when I ate the core. Very strange. If asked I'd say it tastes like fruity, non-alcoholic rum.

--

Sounds like you got a small Kona Gold, which are practically coreless. That's a very nice pineapple, although if it was tasting like a fruity rum it was probably a bit overripe. If you're going to start juicing pineapples on a regular basis, it would be a good idea to invest in a proper blender, Waring style (although a cheapie with a plastic jar works just as well - it's what I've got). It reduces the mess of juicing a pineapple considerably, would smooth out all of the issues you're talking about, and opens you up to the wonderful world of Daiquiris as well.... A blender is perhaps your best friend as you get into the fresh-fruit cocktails.

Edited August 31, 2013 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I live in a land of hummingbirds, but not of pineapples. I never knew there was more than one type of pineapple. When I was cutting this one up I saw that the tag on it said "gold". No idea if that is the gold variety you are speaking of. But I'm eating a bowl of it as I type and it sure is good. What I used to extract the juice is a Waring PJE centrifugal juicer.

The market here sells coconuts with the husk cut off. The cylinders are identically shaped and wrapped in heavy plastic. They look rather industrial. I have never tried one. For that I probably would need a blender, but I wonder what would happen if I put coconut chunks through the Waring juicer? This might solve the problem of the pina colada being too sweet.

I'm finishing the second bowl of pineapple and my tongue does not work anymore.

[heidih]

I live in a land of hummingbirds, but not of pineapples. I never knew there was more than one type of pineapple. When I was cutting this one up I saw that the tag on it said "gold". No idea if that is the gold variety you are speaking of.

If you are in the US, the Gold is a branded thing that Dole did. Was it a Dole pineapple?

[heidih]

Here is the wiki bit about the 2 major producers we would see in the US and Gold "In 2006, Del Monte announced its withdrawal from pineapple cultivation in Hawaii, leaving only Dole and Maui Pineapple Company in Hawaii as the USA's largest growers of pineapples. Maui Pineapple Company markets its Maui Gold brand of pineapple and Dole markets its Hawaii Gold brand of pineapple."

[JoNorvelleWalker]

While there were Dole pineapples in the bin, the pineapple I bought was Chiquita.

http://www.chiquita.com/Products/Fruits/Pineapples.aspx

Upon reading the Chiquita website I see pineapple should not be refrigerated. Does that advice go for the cut up pieces as well?

[heidih]

While there were Dole pineapples in the bin, the pineapple I bought was Chiquita.

http://www.chiquita.com/Products/Fruits/Pineapples.aspx

Upon reading the Chiquita website I see pineapple should not be refrigerated. Does that advice go for the cut up pieces as well?

NO - they will start fermenting pretty quick at room temp

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Hehe, thanks for the fast response!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

For tonight's experiment I did something different. Rather than trying to juice the pineapple I pressure infused the pineapple with Barbancourt 5 star. I put 2 oz of pineapple and 2 oz Barbancourt in my iSi. Wearing safety glasses I charged with two cylinders of nitrous oxide. Shook gently, waited a couple minutes, then stood back and released the pressure. The contents were solid. Oops. Soon the infusion liquified and I strained it into my Cuisinart with about 3 oz Coco Lopez (I did not try to measure) and some ice. I blended this up as best I could and poured into a large wine glass (rather than last night's hurricane glass).

Very nice. Not as sweet as last night's with all the juice. Would have been even better I think with more rum infusion and more ice. I had intended to add some lime but I forgot.

I thought to serve the infused pineapple chucks along with the pina colada, but they were rubbery and tasteless. Not worth saving.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tonight I deconstructed the pina colada even further. I'm admiring a painting of Charles II being presented with the first pineapple grown in England, while browsing for Coco Lopez recipes and sipping Busted Barrel straight.