Lap up the taste of fun in the sun without the morning-after headache with this Virgin Pina Colada—the exotic flavors of pineapple and coconut served over crushed ice.
Summer vacations can be dangerous for those of us who are 21 and older.
Once you get into your bathing suit and out in the sun, the next thing you reach for is a drink. (I know it isn’t just me who does this, people!) Time ceases to exist as we previously knew it and, before long, you get up out of your deck chair and feel a little weak in the legs. Hours spent in the heat isn’t generally a good idea. But neither are sugary alcoholic beverages that go down far too smoothly to be legal.
The solution is to make them virgins.
But first: a VERY brief history lesson. The original rum-based Pina Colada was apparently created by 19th-century, Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresi (yes, a PIRATE!) who served up a mix of pineapple, coconut, and rum to appease his crew whose spirits were drooping. I’m not sure whether the crew perked up but the drink was popular enough that it survived life on the seven seas to become what is now known as the Pina Coladas.
Now, about those virgins…
Sure, I’ll add the spirits back in the evening with dinner, but when I’m lying out by the pool for hours in the afternoon sun, I send the booze packing and enjoy instead the cocktail’s flavors and coolness. That’s what I’ve done with this recipe. Not a drop of rum was spilt in the making of this drink. Instead I’ve highlighted the pineapple and coconut to make a tasty and refreshing beverage that will guarantee you’ll be clearheaded enough to remember your vacation!
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pineapple juice
- 2 ounces cream of coconut
- 1 cup crushed ice
- pineapple slice and cherry (for garnish)
Instructions
- Combine the pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and crushed ice in a blender.
- Blend until it's smooth and frothy. This should give it that signature thick-but-sippable Piña Colada texture!
- Pour the mix into a glass. Garnish the rim with the pineapple wedge and top with the cherry.
Nutrition
FAQs
Use a pina colada glass if you have one. It resembles a hurricane glass but is more curvaceous. If you don’t have one, then a hurricane or highball glass will suffice. For garnish, use a pineapple wedge, lime wedge, and/or a maraschino cherry.
Any leftovers usually get stored back in the blender and then kept chilled in the fridge if I know I’m going to come back to it later that day. If not, I store it in an airtight container (leaving room at the top for expansion) and keep it in the freezer for no longer than a month. When I feel like having some more, I move it to the fridge to let it thaw.
There are 306 calories in this pina colada. That might sound like a lot for a virgin cocktail but a vast majority of that number comes from the cream of coconut. If you would like a lighter version, replace it with coconut milk.
Sure. The important thing is maintaining the ratio of pineapple juice and cream of coconut. Then add a cup of crushed ice for every serving you aim to make.
Frozen chunks of pineapple can replace the fresh fruit and the need for ice in the blender. The result? A stronger, undiluted taste.
If you don’t have a blender or food processor, just add the coconut cream and pineapple juice to a shaker along with ice and shake for 30 seconds. Then add the mix to a pina colada glass filled with crushed ice, garnish, and you’re off to the races!
Other Virgin Cocktails Worth a Try
- Virgin Miami Vice: A Floridian take on the Pina Colada that mixes cream of coconut, pineapple juice, frozen strawberries, and grenadine for color.
- Blue Hawaii Mocktail: Drop the vodka and rum and use a non-alcoholic blue curacao substitute. You can also add a splash of orange juice.
- Coconut Mojito Mocktail: Omit the rums and use instead coconut water and a bit more lime juice and club soda.
- Jalapeño Paloma Mocktail: Grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave syrup, club soda, and a slice or 2 of jalapeno for a nice kick.
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