With Piña Colada Day approaching on July 10th, there’s no better way to celebrate than a tour through the birthplace of the beverage: Puerto Rico.
Island-wide, your readers can find authentic bars and restaurants that serve their own variation of the cocktail (and other treats too)! And if you’d like to speak to mixologists, historians or bartenders, I have plenty on hand that would love to discuss more on this topic.
Keep reading for a fun, curated list of places to enjoy the Pina Colada on the island of Puerto Rico:
- Sit back and sip your beverage with the weight of history behind it. Taste the evolution of the Piña Colada, from the original recipe that was said to be created at the hotel in 1954, to other variations, including the contemporary version: The Clear Colada.
- Barrachina –
- Located in Old San Juan, just one block from La Fortaleza, Barrachina has been catering to tourists and locals for over 40 years in the old city. The surrounding beauty of a colonial building that is over two centuries old has an interior courtyard and magnificent tropical foliage, where don Ramon Portas Mingot was said to first made the drink in 1963.
- La Ana de Cofresí Restaurant at Villa Cofresí –
- Villa Cofresí Hotel in Rincón has been serving its iconic Coco Pirata (Coconut Pirate) for over half a century. Their unique take on the original drink combines four rums, coconut water, evaporated milk, and a dash of cinnamon. At Villa Cofresí, every part of the coconut is used. The cocktail is served inside a coconut, making the fabric of the seed part of the formula.
- JungleBird –
Giving a Mexican twist to a Puerto Rican classic, the mixologists at the all-star cocktail bar Jungle Bird in San Juan created the Tepache Colada, mixing the taste of the piña colada with other Latin American techniques. Tepache is made with fermented pineapple rinds that are baked with spices and piloncillo (sugar cane). The Tepache is mixed with the house’s coconut cream and Don Q Gold Rum. - Señor Paleta –
Inspired by the cocktail, the “paleteros” created a fun and light ice cream pop that blends fresh pineapple with coconut cream. The white and yellow tones evoke that Caribbean brightness and the alteration between the flavors stimulates the palate for a sweet cooling treat. If you’re in Old San Juan, look for the sidewalk with the line that keeps growing as the day becomes hotter.
For your next Puerto Rico vacation, go to Discover Puerto Rico
