Pink Pina Colada

Summer is a time for cookouts, picnics and evenings spent on the patio sipping cocktails with friends. While tried-and-true recipes like classic margaritas and minty mojitos will never go out of fashion, we like to add at least one or two creative cocktail creations to our repertoire every year—and this pink pina colada recipe is a new summer cocktail favorite that we’ll be blending up all season long.

Our pink pina colada recipe combines all the classic ingredients you’d find in a traditional pina colada with a summery ingredient that gives this layered rum drink a warmer hue: strawberries! The result is a beautifully pink drink that will instantly transport your taste buds to the white sandy beaches and turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

Pink Pina Colada Ingredients

• Strawberries: Strawberries have a wonderful sweetness that balances the slight tartness of pineapple. They also marry well with coconut. Even better, red strawberries are the ideal hue to turn classic pina coladas into a flirty, fun pink food recipe.
• Pineapple juice: Pineapple juice maximizes the pineapple flavor in this mixed drink recipe and helps thin it to the perfect sippable consistency.
• Sugar: A small amount of sugar helps draw out the moisture of the strawberries and adds just the right amount of added sweetness.
• Rum: The best rum for a pink pina colada is a Caribbean white rum. New to the world of rum? Use the rest of the bottle in other white rum recipes and we’re sure it will become your new favorite spirit.
• Cream of coconut: Cream of coconut is not the same as coconut cream. Cream of coconut, while also packaged in a can, often contains added sugar for sweetness.
• Frozen pineapple chunks: Frozen fruit helps give pina coladas (and other cocktails with frozen fruit) lasting thickness and body that won’t melt away like ice. That said, it’s a balance: Too much frozen pineapple can result in a pina colada with an undesirable fibrous texture.
• Ice cubes: A few handfuls of ice help chill a pink pina colada to the perfect temperature and give it an irresistibly frosty, frappe consistency.

Directions

Step 1: Make the strawberry puree

Sarah Tramonte for Taste Recipes

In a high-powered blender, combine the strawberries, sugar and 1/2 ounce of pineapple juice. Blend on high until completely smooth. Pour half of the mixture into the bottom of a tall glass and set aside.

Editor’s Tip: Our blender did a great job at pulverizing the strawberry seeds, so we did not feel it was necessary to strain the puree. However, if you prefer a totally smooth puree without seeds, you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve after blending to remove any remaining seed particles.

Step 2: Blend the remaining ingredients

Sarah Tramonte for Taste Recipes

Add the remaining pineapple juice, rum, cream of coconut, frozen pineapple and ice to the remaining strawberry puree in the blender. Starting at a low speed and working your way up to your blender’s highest setting, puree the mixture until it is completely smooth and evenly blended.

Editor’s Tip: Blending on a low speed to start and making your way to higher speeds is one of our best tips for making frozen drinks that protects the longevity of your blender.

Step 3: Pour and serve

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Pour the blended mixture into a glass and garnish the rim with a strawberry and a wedge of pineapple. Serve immediately.

Editor’s Tip: When pouring the final drink, we like to hold the glass at an angle to give the strawberry puree a Caribbean wave-like appearance.

Sarah Tramonte for Taste Recipes

Pink Pina Colada Variations

• Other pink fruits: Instead of strawberries, get that vibrant pink color with fresh raspberries or pitted cherries, or add 1 to 2 ounces of cranberry or pomegranate juice.
• Boost the booze factor: Add a shot of your favorite pink-hued vodka-based liqueur for an extra strong, extra pink pina colada. A few of our favorites that would pair nicely with the tropical taste of the pineapple and coconut include brands like X-Rated liqueur (which is flavored with blood orange, mango and passion fruit) or Kinky liqueur.
• Make them sparkle: Jazz these pink pina coladas up even further with a few pinches of edible glitter. You could also add pink sparkling sugar to the rim like you would for a Barbie cocktail.

Pink Pina Colada Tips

Sarah Tramonte for Taste Recipes

What’s the best type of glass for a pink pina colada?

The best type of glassware to serve a pink pina colada in is either a hurricane glass or a Poco Grande glass. Both are tall, fluted glasses that are often used to serve tropical and frozen drink recipes.

How do you make batches of pina coladas?

If you’re serving a crowd and want multiple batches of pina coladas, you’ll need to multiply this recipe by the number of servings you need. You can likely make up to four servings in a standard-size blender.

We also suggest investing in an insulated stainless steel pitcher, which will keep the pina coladas or other batched cocktails cool for several hours. Alternatively, you can transfer the pina coladas to any standard pitcher with a lid and store it in the freezer for several hours to preserve the consistency of the cocktail. The sugar and alcohol will slow down the freezing and simply keep them ice cold.

How do you fix a pink pina colada that’s too thick or too thin?

If your pina colada is too thick, add an extra splash of pineapple juice to the blender to thin the mixture to the desired consistency. If your pina colada is too thin, add a few extra chunks of frozen pineapple.