Pina Colada Day

July 10, 2013 is National Piña Colada Day

 

You don’t need to be on a beach to enjoy this refreshing tropical cocktail. No matter where you are in the world, a piña colada is a great way to sit back, relax, and enjoy a little taste of the summer.

Did you know that piña coladas originated in San Juan, Puerto Rico? The term, "piña colada" means "strained pineapple" in Spanish, which makes perfect sense. A traditional recipe calls for pineapple juice, light rum, and coconut cream poured over crushed ice.

If you like piña coladas (“and getting caught in the rain!” - and I'm sorry if the song rolls around in your head for the rest of the day) fix yourself an ice cold drink, top it with a mini umbrella, and celebrate National Piña Colada Day!


Traditional Pina Colada
 
2 oz pineapple juice 

2 oz gold rum 

1 1/2 oz cream of coconut

Pineapple wedge  and little umbrella for garnish 

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake well. 

Pour into a chilled cocktail or collins glass and garnish!

Of course, some folks are silly about diets, so here's a diet version of this yummy drink - if you must!

A typical Pina Coloda is loaded with sugar, but we don't have to send our blood sugar up to enjoy this bit of tropical heaven. I have minimized the sugar in this version by replacing both the pineapple juice and the cream of coconut with sugar-free versions. Because this relies on pineapple flavoring, people who have room in their carb allotment or aren't too sensitive to sugars may want to use actual pineapple juice, at 2 grams of sugar (carb) per tablespoon.

Of course, you can create a "virgin" version by omitting the rum.  (BORING!)

• 1 jigger rum (1.5 oz.; 3 tablespoons)
• 5 tablespoons coconut milk or coconut cream (NOT Cream of Coconut!)
• 4 tablespoons sugar-free pineapple syrup, such as Da Vinci
• 1 cup ice

Put ingredients in blender and blend until slushy.

If you want a non-frozen version, put ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake, and strain out the ice.

Personally, I'll stick with the original, except maybe to use the coconut cream instead of cream of coconut.   :o)