Piña Colada (Premium)

A high-quality white Puerto Rican rum such as Don Q or Bacardi Superior is the traditional choice for a piña colada, keeping the drink clean and bright. Many bartenders also blend in a half-ounce of an aged rum like Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez to add subtle depth and complexity.

Yes, you can shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a glass over fresh ice, which produces a silkier, less slushy texture than the classic blended version. The iconic blended style was popularized in the 1960s at Barrachina restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Coco López is the original cream of coconut product created in 1954 by Ramón López Irizarry at the University of Puerto Rico, and it remains the standard ingredient in most authentic piña colada recipes. Using cream of coconut rather than coconut milk or coconut cream gives the cocktail its signature sweetness and body.

A standard premium piña colada usually contains between 400 and 500 calories, driven largely by the fat and sugar content of the cream of coconut. Using fresh pineapple juice instead of a pre-made mix can slightly reduce the sugar load while improving flavor brightness.