If you have been reading this column for any length of time you know I love rum and hate hot weather.
Those interests cross paths regularly as the former, when poured over ice, helps mitigate the latter but are perhaps best represented in the Pina Colada.
The beginning of football season is hot and demands refreshments. So why not turn to the same tried and true tricks that have gotten you through the summer?
An easy way to extend your summer is to start mixing these up yourself.
Most people know the sweet and refreshing drink from beachside bars or paired with getting caught in the rain in a song about finding love but it is actually one of the simpler drinks of tiki extraction to make at your home bar.
All you need is a blender, some ice, rum of your choice and a short jog to the grocery store for coconut cream and pineapple juice to make something cool and creamy and refreshing. You can even skip the rum and make something the whole family can enjoy.
According to UK-based tiki wizard and the man behind the famed tiki joint Mahiki in foggy London Town, Papa Jules, the drink was invented on August 16, 1954. Where it was invented is a little trickier.
The official narrative is that Ramon “Monchito” Marrero created the Pina Colada while working at the Beachcomber Bar at the Caribe Hilton Hotel. He felt the drink distilled the sunny and tropical nature of Puerto Rico in a glass.
In 1978 Puerto Rico declared the drink its national beverage and it was further ratified In 2004 when Puerto Rican Governor Sila M. Calderon signed a proclamation.
Despite this official recognition, other Puerto Rican establishments have claimed to be the birthplace of the iconic beach drink most notably the Brrachina in Old San Juan. They even have a plaque stating that the drink was invented there in 1963 by Spanish bartender Ramon Portas Mingot.
The lore of the drink often claims it was first invented by Roberto Cofresi, a bloody Puerto Rican pirate that claimed to have killed four hundred men at his own hands. His recipe was supposedly lost following his 1825 death at the age of 33 by firing squad.
Whoever you think invented the drink, one thing is for certain, after you mix one of these and pour the frozen concoction out of your blender and into a tall cool glass you just might be able to close your eyes wherever you are and transport yourself to a chair on your favorite beach.
Ingredients:
-2.5 ounces rum
-3 ounces pineapple juice
-1 ounce of coconut cream
-ice
Directions:
Combine the rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream in a blender. Blend on high with a cup or so of crushed ice or five to six ice cubes. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry, fresh cut pineapple, pineapple frond or other fresh fruit you may have on hand.
