Piña Colada

Article by Emily Saladino

In the wrong hands, many tropical cocktails can taste cloying. Thankfully, Food Network Kitchen calibrated this piña colada recipe so yours turns out cool, creamy and beautifully balanced. Plus, once you master the classic version, you can riff on it to make virgin piña coladas, piña coladas on the rocks and more.

What Is a Piña Colada?

A popular cocktail with roots in Puerto Rico, piña colada recipes include rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice. Most origin stories credit its creation to Ramon “Monchito” Marrero, the head bartender at the Caribe Hilton hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1954.

In the latter half of the 20th century, however, many argue that the cocktail fell victim to its own popularity: mass-produced piña colada mixes proliferated, leading some people to associate the drink with overly sweet flavors. In recent years, craft bartenders have reclaimed the original piña colada drink recipe and restored the cocktail’s frosty glory.

Piña Colada Ingredients and Substitutions

With just five ingredients (plus ice), piña colada cocktail recipes come together quickly. Here’s everything you need to know.

What’s the best rum for piña coladas? While white or light rum is traditional, our recipe developers love the bold flavor that a mix of white and dark rums bring to this drink. If you only have one style of rum, you can make this recipe with either kind.

Freeze the pineapple. If time allows, it’s worth putting the pineapple chunks in the freezer for at least 2 to 3 hours before you make your cocktail (or choose packaged frozen pineapple). Using frozen pineapple makes this piña colada recipe extra-frosty and slows down the dilution of the ice. However, you can use unfrozen pineapple chunks without compromising any flavor.

Choose your coconut carefully. Classic piña colada recipes use cream of coconut, a type of thick, sweetened coconut cream that’s gives the drink its sweet flavor and lush texture. Coco Lopez is one widely available brand — in the Caribbean and beyond, most bartenders make Coco Lopez piña colada recipes. If all you have is coconut cream, your pina colada recipe will be less rich but still tasty. Add a dash of simple syrup to balance the flavors.

Crushed or pebble ice works best. Our recipe developers find that crushed or pebble ice blends evenly and produces velvety smooth results. To make crushed ice at home, put cubes in a sealed plastic bag on a cutting board and use a mallet or the back of a heavy-bottomed pan to smash them into smaller pieces. Aim for inch-long shards —anything smaller will melt too quickly and dilute your drink.

No blender? Make a pina colada on the rocks. To make a piña colada on the rocks, combine all ingredients except the garnish in a cocktail shaker, then shake vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds. Pour the drink into a chilled glass over fresh ice and enjoy.

How to Make a Virgin Piña Colada Recipe

To turn this into a virgin piña colada recipe, substitute 2½ ounces of a non-alcoholic rum substitutes such as Lyre’s Dark Cane Spirit for the white and dark rums. Or use the same amount of coconut milk for extra tropical, coconutty flavor.

Can You Double this Piña Colada Recipe?

You can double this piña colada cocktail recipe, so long as your blender has the capacity for twice as much ice, liquids and chunked pineapple. Otherwise, measure out all the ingredients for however many rounds of pina coladas you want to serve, and make them consecutively.