If You Like Piña Coladas, You’ll Love These Other Tropical Cocktails

That feeling when you have a hankering for more than one kind of tropical tipple.

a bartender putting a garnish on a colada cocktail in a pineapple glassware.
Angostura Colada at Sunken Harbor Club | Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Angostura Colada at Sunken Harbor Club | Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist

Much like soft rock vacation anthems, Piña Coladas are hard to get out of your head. It’s difficultto forget the tropicalcombo of rum, pineapple juice, and coconut cream. On a beach, in the summer, you might even ponder whether anyother drink could ever beat it.

With origins in Puerto Rico where it’s the island’s national drink, Piña Coladas were made for hot weather. Still, throwing back acreamy coconut slushy every day could get a little old hat fast. (Or, if you’re really lazy, these days you can just snag some Piña Colada in a can.)

Ward off any colada fatigue with five slight variations that still hit the spot. If you like Piña Coladas, but hate getting caught in the mundane, then try these twists. (Getting caught in the rain is entirely optional.)

Piña Colada Milkshake

This extra-decadent, full-blown milkshake version of the Piña Colada will make you love the classic even more. Created by the drinkable dessert masters at Brooklyn’s Butter & Scotch, this blended drink is even richer than the original thanks to a generous scoop of coconut ice cream. Whole pineapple chunks also go into the blender, which should yield some tasty pieces to nibble on as you sip.

Painkiller

If you feel awkward about ordering a Piña Colada from a bar and don’t want to hear the shameful whirring of a blender, order a Painkiller. The tiki drink is super easy to make and uses many of the same ingredients as the Piña Colada. Coconut cream, pineapple juice, and orange juice are shaken—not blended!—together, poured into a rocks glass, and topped with some freshly grated nutmeg. Being a tiki go-to, it has all of the island vibe of a colada without the fully blended fuss.

Rocket Fuel

The Piña Colada is decently potent, but it isn’t nearly as strong as some of its tropical cocktail brethren. This drink, though, lives up to its name with a healthy dose of dark rum, nutty amaretto, and goosebumps-on-you-arms strong 151-proof rum piped directly into the metal straw. That means you’ll get a whopping kick upon your very first sip, and a richer Piña Colada the rest of the way through.

Konomi

Consuming three Piña Coladas after sunbathing on the beach feels ideal (if not hurting for a sunburn), but drinking that many coconut cream drinks can also become a touch too cloying. If you want that coconut-infused flavor partnered with pineapple, but don't necessarily feel like twirling your straw through a slushy, opt for a Konomi instead. It’s a lighter drink made with coconut oil-washed vodka, pineapple syrup, matcha powder, and amaro, then all poured over ice. The result: a complex cocktail that has sweet, bitter, and fragrant notes.

Good Morning New Orleans

If you swap out the rum for tequila in a Piña Colada, the drink still tastes like a summer getaway—one that takes place in Cabo instead of Puerto Rico. In this tequila-spiked iteration from New Orleans bar Maypop, aged añejo tequila, coconut purée, and fresh pineapple juice are blitzed together. A little Chinese five spice for garnish adds some savory intrigue.

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Laura Reilly is a traveler and former bartender who spends all of her money on pasta, new cocktails, craft beer, the extra guac and a wasted gym membership.