The quintessential rum and coconut drink is the piña colada. Its prime ingredient is cream of coconut, a canned sweetened cream (Coco Lopez is the top of the line). Although the piña colada originated in Puerto Rico, where it was prepared at Schumann’s in Viejo San Juan, this piña colada is a salute to the one that I once tasted in the Dominican Republic, where it was prepared from the freshest ingredients possible: fresh pineapple, freshly made coconut milk, and—naturally—fabulous rum. It was served in a hollowed-out pineapple and lives in my taste memory and my dreams. Try one and you’ll see why.
makes 1 drink
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
2 ounces freshly made coconut milk, chilled (see page 47)
1 ounce dark rum, such as Brugal
1 ounce Dominican-style white rum, such as Bermudez Ron Blanco or Pineapple-Infused Rum (page 106)
3 ice cubes
1 ounce heavy cream
1 wedge pineapple for garnish
Put the pineapple chunks in a blender and pulse until you have a liquid slurry.
Combine ¼ cup of the pineapple liquid, the coconut milk, and both rums in a cocktail shaker with the ice cubes. Add the cream and shake vigorously. Strain into a tall glass and garnish with the pineapple wedge. Serve immediately.