The History
Most authoritatively traced to Ramón ‘Monchito’ Marrero at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who reportedly spent three months developing it in 1954 to create a signature drink for the hotel bar. A competing claim places it at Barrachina in 1963, also in San Juan; both have been disputed by historians, but the Caribe Hilton case is better-documented. Puerto Rico declared the Piña Colada its national drink in 1978. Coco López, the canonical cream of coconut, was developed in Puerto Rico in 1954—the same year—and the timing is not coincidental.
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 oz white rum (Banks 5 or Bacardi Superior)
- 1 oz cream of coconut (Coco López)
- 1 oz heavy cream (or coconut cream)
- 6 oz fresh pineapple juice
- 1 cup crushed ice
- Pineapple wedge & cherry (garnish)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender.
Blend on high until smooth—about 15 seconds.
Pour into a chilled hurricane or tall glass.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.