Non-alcoholic recipe
Virgin Piña Colada
Unsweetened coconut cream, pineapple and lime blend with crushed ice into a lighter, less sugary interpretation of the tropical favourite.
Ingredients
- 100 ml chilled pasteurized unsweetened pineapple juice
- 45 ml unsweetened coconut cream (not sweetened cream of coconut)
- 10 ml fresh lime juice
- 30 ml cold water
- 120 g crushed ice (for blending)
Preparation
Check the coconut-cream label: use unsweetened coconut cream, not sweetened cream of coconut. Add 100 ml chilled pasteurized pineapple juice, 45 ml unsweetened coconut cream, 10 ml freshly squeezed lime juice and 30 ml cold water to a blender with 120 g crushed ice. Blend for 15–25 seconds until uniformly smooth. Pour immediately into a hurricane glass; garnish with one pineapple wedge and one cocktail cherry. Do not add rum or alcoholic extracts.
Glassware
Hurricane or tall glass
Garnish
1 pineapple wedge and 1 cocktail cherry
History
The Piña Colada is a Puerto Rican cocktail with several competing creation claims; the International Bartenders Association’s alcoholic specification contains white rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice. This Mixology version omits rum and uses unsweetened coconut cream, lime and water. It is a house adaptation, not the official IBA recipe.
Mixology View
Unsweetened coconut cream is not interchangeable with sweetened cream of coconut. The recipe measures both the added water and blending ice; the resulting texture and sweetness remain desk estimates rather than physically tasted results.
Ingredient note
Check the coconut-cream label for allergens and use unsweetened coconut cream, not sweetened cream of coconut. No rum or alcoholic extracts are included. Some cocktail cherries contain sulphites and may contain pits; check the selected garnish label and remove any pits before serving.