That’s right, I’m going to rescue the reputation of the Pina Colada in my first post. What?!
Here’s how it goes. The only thing that’s coming out of a bottle is the rum. Fresh pineapple, fresh coconut, fresh lime. That’s it. No cream. No coconut milk. Please, again, no cream.
You’re not going to make just one of these. For this vaguely sunny Hackney afternoon we used a pineapple, 2 coconuts (more on those shortly), a lime, and some Appletons White rum. You can get away with a gold rum in this, but definitely not a dark rum. If you’re feeling wild (or you’d like to be feeling wild), go with old Wray and Nephews Overproof. It’s a fruity number, so it can definitely handle the overproof rum.
- Twist the leaves out of the top of your pineapple, and if they’re nice and green, save a few of the central leaves for a garnish. Drill your coconut and strain the coconut water.
- Juice your pineapple (crush or use a proper juicer), and keep a couple of decent wedges for garnishes.
- If you’re a fly bastard, you’re gonna take a cleaver to the top of those coconuts once they’ve drained so you’ve got some authentic glassware.
- Shake and strain your pineapple juice, coconut water, lime juice and rum. Here’s the ratios.
- 1 part rum
- 2 parts coconut
- 2 parts pineapple
- 1/2 part lime juice
Shake it up together, strain over ice, and serve in your coconut shells. Or a glass. Just make sure to garnish with a bit of coconut, one of the pineapple wedges, a little lime slice. Stick some Sister Nancy on. Find a ray of sunshine. Relax.
The Pina Colada is one of the classic tiki drinks, and so it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a Puerto Rican classic, and, honestly, one I’d be wary of ordering out; make it at home with the freshest ingredients you can find, and make sure you set aside some time to savour one this summer.