Rum, coconut liqueur and pineapple blended with cream and condensed milk, and served inside the hollowed-out pineapple shell, frozen beforehand so it keeps the drink cold.
That is why the recipe asks for two whole pineapples to make two drinks. The shells are the glasses.
The frozen shell
Cut the top off, hollow out the flesh without breaking the walls, and put the empty shells in the freezer for half an hour while you do everything else.
A frozen shell does what ice does without the dilution, and it keeps the drink cold much longer than a glass would. It is also the reason this version looks the way it does.
The flesh you scooped out becomes the pineapple juice in step two, so nothing is wasted.
Blend the ice first
Ice, condensed milk and cream go in before any alcohol. Alcohol lowers the freezing point of the mixture, so ice added after the rum breaks down unevenly and leaves shards.
The rum and the liqueur then go in with the blender running, alternating an ounce of each, which keeps the emulsion from splitting.
This is a sweeter piña colada
A bar piña colada uses cream of coconut, which is already sweetened, and nothing else. This one uses coconut liqueur, heavy cream and condensed milk, which makes it richer, sweeter and more of a dessert.
If you want something closer to the standard version, use cream of coconut in place of both the liqueur and the condensed milk, and keep the cream.
More things with coconut
- Coconut lemonade — the version without alcohol.
- Coco loco — also served in the shell.
- Coconut rice — the savoury side of the same ingredient.
- Cocadas — coconut sweets.
Piña Colada FAQ
Because the hollowed shells are the glasses. The flesh you scoop out becomes the pineapple juice in the recipe, so nothing is thrown away. Freezing the empty shells for half an hour keeps the drink cold without watering it down.
Alcohol lowers the freezing point of the mixture, so ice added after the rum does not break down evenly and leaves shards. Blending the ice with the cream and condensed milk first gives a smooth texture.
Yes, and it will be closer to the standard bar version. Use cream of coconut in place of both the coconut liqueur and the condensed milk, and keep the heavy cream. The result is less sweet and less rich.
No. The classic is rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice. This version adds coconut liqueur, heavy cream and condensed milk, which makes it sweeter and closer to a dessert. Both are recognisably the same drink.
Yes. Leave out the rum and the liqueur and add a little more pineapple juice. Coconut lemonade is a better route to a non-alcoholic version of the same flavour.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces white rum
- 2 pineapples (the hollowed shells are the glasses; the pulp becomes the juice)
- 4 ounces coconut liqueur
- 8 ounces pineapple juice (from the pulp of the pineapples above)
- 6 ounces heavy cream
- 4 ounces condensed milk (this is the sweetener; there is no added sugar)
- 10 ice cubes
Notas
Instructions
- Cut the top off each pineapple and hollow it out, keeping the shell intact: it is going to be the glass. Put the shells in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Blend the pulp you removed with a little water to make the pineapple juice.
- Put the ice, the condensed milk and the cream in the blender and blend.
- With the blender running, add the coconut liqueur and the rum in alternating ounces, one of rum then one of liqueur, until both are in.
- Pour into the frozen pineapple shells and decorate as you like.
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