Let us tell you the legend of the Kahlua Colada: a source of endless fascination for us at Hamilton Beach Commercial. After we put this frozen piña colada recipe on our blog three years ago (courtesy of Bartender Magazine), it rapidly became our most popular post of all time — and remains a hit to this day.
Why is the Kahlua Colada so popular? Maybe because it’s both simple and surprising. The combination of Kahlua, cream of coconut and pineapple juice sounds odd, but it works. In that spirit, here are a few more fun riffs on the piña colada to inspire you.
How to make a really good piña colada
Before we get fancy, let’s start with the basics. How do you make a classic piña colada that’s truly, tropically, awesome?
- Freeze all the ingredients. This tip comes from food writer Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats. To solve the age-old problem of ice (too much means a watery drink, too little means a drink that’s not truly frozen), Gritzer chills everything first. He pre-batches the ingredients (fresh pineapple, coconut cream, simple syrup and lime juice) and freezes them for an hour before blending with chilled rum and ice. “Combined with the fiber in the chunks of actual pineapple (as opposed to just plain juice), the result is a much thicker and slushier piña colada,” he says.
- Use two kinds of rum. The pros say to use both white and dark rums. The traditional choice is a Puerto Rican rum (that’s where the piña colada was born, after all). Consider a dash of bitters, too.
- Choose high-quality cream of coconut. Bartenders have mixed emotions about cream of coconut. Many swear by Coco López, the classic Puerto Rican canned and sweetened variety. Others say it tastes artificial, and prefer to make their own.
- Use a high-performance blender. Hamilton Beach Commercial high-performance blenders are beloved by bartenders around the world for creating a super-creamy drink profile. Auto-Blend technology (available on the Summit) detects when the perfect consistency is achieved.
Seven creative riffs on the piña colada
- Try different spirits: Kahlua’s not the only possibility! Make a piña colada with vodka instead of rum, and it’s called a Chi Chi. Cognac is another good option: Replace all but half an ounce of the rum with cognac, in this recipe from Hennessy, and float a little cherry brandy on top. Others to try: amaretto, banana liqueur, pisco.
- Mash it up with another drink: The Miami Vice is a pretty frozen cocktail that layers piña colada on top of a strawberry daiquiri. Try this fresh and simple recipe from the Broken Shaker. A Coco Margarita adds tequila and sour mix.
- Float liquor on top: Willy Shine, beverage consultant and brand ambassador for Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum, praises a piña colada with Campari on top: “It adds a beautiful layer of bitter to all the fresh sweetness,” he tells Eater. You can also add a float of vermouth or Fernet-Branca.
- Make it lighter: Ciroc Vodka suggests a non-creamy version made with Ciroc Pineapple, coconut water, lime juice and simple syrup — shaken, not blended, and topped off with soda water.
- Add exotic flavors to a frozen piña colada: Some ideas: muddled jalapeno peppers, mango, lemongrass, ginger, basil, nutmeg, smoke. (But not all at once!)
- Make it without alcohol: Blend fresh pineapple with coconut milk, lime, sugar and ice for a refreshing batida.
- Just experiment: There’s no such thing as the piña colada police, so make your own variations! The most intriguing piña colada we’ve come across is the Avo-colada from Tallula’s in Santa Monica. There’s no coconut at all: just SelvaRey rum with Velvet Falernum, avocado puree, lime, pineapple and egg white.
Do you have a unique frozen cocktail on your menu? Tell us about it! We’re always looking for restaurant innovators to feature in this space.