Frozen Non-Alcoholic* Piña Colada

Imagine being so passionately loved that people fight for your title. Well, the Piña Colada cocktail doesn’t need to imagine – it knows. Add an annual day of celebration (and a zero%* alcohol rum in this case) and you're looking at a Puerto Rican national treasure.

The hotly debated Piña Colada creator comes down to three main bartenders. The first claim, and most accepted, comes from Ramón ‘Monchito’ Marrero. The bartender of San Juan’s Caribe Hilton Hotel says he first crafted the infamous cocktail at the beachfront bar in 1954. Asked to create a signature drink, Ramón recipe-tested for months before finally landing on the coconut-meets-pineapple success story.

The triumph soon met rivalry with Ricardo García and later, Ramón Portas Mignot. Ricardo, a colleague of Ramón, argues he invented the drink after a coconut shortage prompted the addition of pineapple to the cocktail. But  Ramón (Portas Mignot) protests that he pioneered the Piña Colada in 1963 at Barrachina Restaurant in Old San Juan, later displaying a plaque at the restaurant to support the case.

Unaffected by the debate, the Piña Colada’s rise in popularity saw it crowned Puerto Rico’s national drink in 1978. Continuing the adoration to 2004, the Puerto Rican governor presented the Caribe Hilton Hotel with a signed proclamation on its 50th anniversary, supporting the earliest claim.

Fortunately, to enjoy this frozen pineapple and coconut-based drink you won’t need to pick a side, just a zero% alcohol rum*. Then sip back and enjoy, because with this Piña Colada, everybody wins.

With a Spanish name that translates directly to ‘strained pineapple,’ there’s no doubt the Piña Colada is all about the quality of the spiny fruit’s sweet and tangy flavour. Aim for fresh pineapple juice to make the most of its balancing zing. Continue to channel the tropics and try adding frozen passionfruit, lychee, kiwi or mango to the mix.

Equally important is the coconut cream. Use full-fat or, better yet, try to source Coco Lopez Real Cream of Coconut, the original base for the Piña Colada made in Puerto Rico in the 1950s and still available today.

For other refreshing non-alc cocktails, try the Watermelon & Cucumber Non-Alcoholic Highball, Non-Alcoholic Grapefruit Julep, or Dry Basil Smash non-alcoholic* cocktail.