Virgin piña colada
Pineapple juice, coconut cream and ice, blended thick and cold. A holiday drink with no rum.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Hurricane glass
- Strength
- Alcohol-free
How to make a virgin piña colada
- Add to the blender. Put the pineapple juice, coconut cream, sugar syrup and lime juice in a blender.
- Add the ice. Add a large handful of ice, roughly 200 g.
- Blend until smooth. Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds, until there are no ice chunks and the drink looks thick, pale and slightly frothy.
- Pour and garnish. Pour straight into a chilled glass and add a pineapple wedge. Drink it before it melts.
- Glass
- Hurricane glassNo hurricane glass? Any tall glass.
- Ice
- Crushed ice
- Garnish
- Pineapple wedgeOr: A cocktail cherry.
What you need to make a virgin piña colada
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- Coconut creamLook for one with a high coconut content and few additives. Chilled overnight, it blends thick.Find it on Amazon
- Pineapple juiceNot-from-concentrate has a sharper, fresher taste.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Virgin piña colada variations and swaps
Add 50 ml of white rum and you have the classic piña colada. Use vodka instead and it is a Chi Chi. For a fruitier drink, swap 80 g of the ice for 80 g of frozen strawberries, or frozen mango. If your pineapple juice is very sweet, skip the sugar syrup. No blender? Use coconut cream at room temperature, shake everything hard with ice for 15 seconds and strain over crushed ice. It will be thinner, but still creamy. For a thicker, sharper blend, use frozen pineapple chunks in place of half the ice.
The virgin piña colada story
The piña colada is Puerto Rico's national drink. Its invention is argued over: several bartenders claim it for the 1950s and 1960s, and the Caribe Hilton in San Juan is the name most often given. The name means "strained pineapple".
Without the rum, the drink needs a little more sweetness and acid to feel finished. Coconut cream gives it body, pineapple gives it sharpness, and a squeeze of lime stops it tasting like pudding. Blend for longer than you think so the ice breaks down fully and the texture turns smooth.
Virgin piña colada: your questions answered
What is in a virgin piña colada?
A virgin piña colada is made with 120 ml pineapple juice, 50 ml coconut cream, 15 ml sugar syrup and 10 ml fresh lime juice. Garnish: pineapple wedge.
Is this virgin piña colada alcohol-free?
Yes. This virgin piña colada is made without any alcoholic ingredients, so it suits drivers and anyone taking a night off.
What glass do you serve a virgin piña colada in?
Serve a virgin piña colada in a hurricane glass over ice. No hurricane glass? Any tall glass.
