Pina colada — tasting notes & food pairings

Pina colada

The pina colada is the tropical icon of rum cocktails — a thick, frosty blend of white rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice that tastes like a holiday in a glass. Sweet, creamy and unmistakably tropical, it is the national drink of Puerto Rico, where it was born in San Juan, and the benchmark by which all coconut-pineapple drinks are judged. Its name is Spanish for strained pineapple, and at its best it is rich without being cloying, the lush coconut cream and bright pineapple held together by clean light rum.

Sweet13% ABV

A frosty, pale-yellow blended drink of roughly 12 to 18 percent alcohol, sweet-led and creamy, dominated by lush sweetened coconut and ripe tropical pineapple. The cream of coconut gives a velvety, nutty body and most of the sweetness, while the pineapple lends bright fruit and just enough acidity to keep the coconut from cloying; the light rum sits underneath as a clean sugarcane warmth rather than a sharp bite. It is rich, fruity and dessert-leaning, finishing on coconut and a soft warm rum, smooth and full-bodied rather than tart or crisp.