PIñA COLADA
Piña Colada: Puerto Rico's National Cocktail from 1954
The Piña Colada was created in 1954 by bartender Ramón "Monchito" Marrero at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico WikipediaHilton. Marrero was challenged to create a new welcome drink for guests and spent three months experimenting before settling on the final recipe Caribe Hilton that combined rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice.
The cocktail's creation was enabled by the 1954 invention of Coco López coconut cream by University of Puerto Rico Professor Ramon López Irizarry, who patented a new method for extracting coconut cream Wikipedia. While other bartenders have claimed the drink's invention, including Ricardo García, who worked at the Caribe Hilton and claimed he invented it in 1953 Wikipedia, and Ramón Portas Mingot at Barrachina Restaurant in Old San Juan in 1963 Discover Puerto Rico, the most widely accepted account credits Marrero. In 2004, Puerto Rico Governor Sila María Calderón issued an official proclamation marking the 50th anniversary of the Piña Colada, naming Marrero as its creator and the Caribe Hilton as its birthplace Frommers.
Marrero served the drink personally for 35 years at the hotel Caribe Hilton. In 1978, the Piña Colada was declared the official drink of Puerto Rico Caribe Hilton. The name literally translates to "strained pineapple" in Spanish.
RECIPE:
2 oz white rum
1 oz coconut cream (Coco López)
1 oz heavy cream
6 oz fresh pineapple juice
½ cup crushed ice
Method:
Add all ingredients to blender
Blend until smooth
Pour into chilled glass
Garnish with pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry