Sweet pineapple, rich coconut and a cloud of crushed ice: without the rum, the Piña Colada turns into a creamy tropical cooler that anyone at the table can drink. A small squeeze of lime keeps it from becoming too heavy.
4 oz
pineapple juice
1¼ oz
cream of coconut sweetened cream of coconut
¾ oz
cream for a richer texture (optional)
¼ oz
lime juice to freshen it up (optional)
Garnish: Pineapple wedge and cocktail cherry · Ice: Crushed ice
Virgin Colada
Creamy and sweet with ripe pineapple and toasted coconut, lightly freshened by lime. Smooth, rich and very cold.
The Virgin Colada is the alcohol-free version of the Piña Colada, the pineapple, coconut and rum drink from Puerto Rico. Several San Juan bars claim to have invented the original: the Caribe Hilton hotel names a bartender there in the 1950s, while the Barrachina restaurant points to one of its own bartenders in the 1960s. Neither claim has been settled, but the drink was declared Puerto Rico's official drink in 1978.
What made it possible was sweetened cream of coconut, a canned product developed in Puerto Rico in the 1950s that dissolves easily in cold drinks. Remove the rum and you have one of the most ordered mocktails in the world, especially popular with families and on holiday menus.
Only the rum. The Virgin Colada uses the same pineapple and coconut base but no alcohol.
You can, but the drink will be much thinner and less sweet. Add a little sugar syrup and some cream to compensate.
It contains no alcohol, so yes. It is fairly sweet, so a smaller glass is often enough.
The perfect sound
Coconut dreams without a care in the world.
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