What does a piña colada taste like?
A piña colada tastes like a coconut pineapple milkshake with rum: sweet, creamy and tropical, usually blended icy smooth, with only a gentle rum flavor.
Piña colada
coconut, pineapple, vacation
A piña colada is rum, pineapple juice and cream of coconut, a thick, sweetened coconut cream, blended with ice or shaken and poured over it. It's Puerto Rico's official drink. It tastes like a vacation in a glass: juicy pineapple, rich coconut and a creamy, almost dessert-like sweetness. The rum mostly hides in the background, adding a little warmth and vanilla. Blended, it's frosty and smooth. Shaken, it's silkier and a bit stronger. Either way it's sweet, so think treat, not aperitif.
Where you’ll see it
On beach bar, resort, tiki and chain restaurant menus, often frozen with a pineapple wedge and cherry. Craft bars sometimes serve a shaken version or add aged rum.
Order it if you want something sweet, creamy and tropical that tastes like dessert.
Quick questions
- Is a piña colada sweet?
- Yes, very. Cream of coconut is heavily sweetened, and pineapple juice adds more, so it is one of the sweetest cocktails around.
- Does a piña colada have dairy?
- Usually not. The creaminess comes from coconut cream. Some bars add milk, cream or ice cream, so ask if it matters to you.