Cooking Lesson #88— Piña Colada

The Piña Colada

How you doin’? It’s that wonderful time of the week when we can’t wait to start happy hour—sometimes it’s Thursday at midnight... that's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?
 
Let’s talk a little pineapple and coconut or the infamous Piña Colada. Sometimes the Piña Colada gets a bad rap among cocktail connoisseurs and snobs. For years, it was the stepchild of the blender boom, a symbol of poolside bars, boozy cruises and the poor man’s beach vacation. But the tropical classic—a mix of rum, coconut, pineapple and lime juice—dates back more than a half century, when it was the drink of the day in San Juan, Puerto Rico. If you’re not into blended drinks, this recipe will silence the blender blades and you can use pebble or shaved ice instead, along with and a nice sturdy shake… count it toward your exercise for the day.
 
The Piña Colada is a sweet cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut or coconut milk, and pineapple juice. It may be garnished with either a pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, or both—a paper cocktail umbrella is a must. There are two versions of the drink, both originating in Puerto Rico. Both are shown here.
                                                     The Piña Colada
                                     
Ingredients
2 ounces light rum, plus a splash more to float
1-1/2 ounces cream of coconut
1-1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
 
Garnish: pineapple wedge
Garnish: pineapple leaf
Garnish: maraschino cherry
Garnish: paper cocktail umbrella
 
Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously (20-30 seconds).
2. Strain into a chilled Hurricane glass over pebble ice.
3. Garnish with a pineapple wedge, pineapple leaf and a tiny cocktail umbrella.

 
                                                 The Painkiller Cocktail
 
A Painkiller is a rum cocktail trademarked by Pusser's Rum Ltd, their signature drink. It is often associated with the British Virgin Islands, its place of origin. Similar to a Piña Colada, The Painkiller is a blend of Pusser's (or any other rum) with 4 parts pineapple juice, 1 part cream of coconut and 1 part orange juice, well shaken and served over the rocks with a generous amount of fresh nutmeg on top. It may be made with either two, three or four ounces of Pusser's dark rum.
 
Why Pusser’s? It is the original Navy Rum as served on board warships of Great Britain’s Royal Navy for more than 350 years from about 1655 to 1970. It was a part of the life and times of Nelson—the Admiral—and the old navy so aptly described in the novels of Patrick O’Brian.  Pusser’s 350 years of Liquid History has become the standard by which other dark rums are measured. Pusser’s was never sold or offered to the public until 1979. Prior to this, if a rum connoisseur managed to obtain a tot or two, it was valued at a high price and for a very special occasion. Pusser’s full, rich flavor is all natural, no flavoring agents are added. It is the only rum whose flavor is sufficiently distinctive to be savored through the ingredients of just about any cocktail.
 
Ingredients
2, 3 or 4 ounces Pusser's Dark Rum
4 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce cream of coconut
1 ounce orange juice
 
Directions

1. Shake ingredients vigorously with ice, then pour into a tall hurricane glass or hollowed out pineapple over crushed ice.
2. Sprinkle nutmeg on top and serve.

ChefSecret:  

• At our ocean front restaurants we served this drink in a hollowed our pineapple with 2 straws. For just under 15 bucks you can add this handy gadget to your bar tools collection and mystify all your guests (assuming we’re allowed to have any).
• The first cocktail to get an umbrella was the tapa punch, in 1959 in California, by either Trader Vic’s or Don the Beachcomber depending on whose history you want to believe. So why were those little umbrellas hanging around? Ladies loved them and couldn’t resist a strong rum drink topped off with a tiny, little paper parasol—they’re so cute and a great keepsake of an even better date. 
  

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