This Piña Colada Recipe Offers a Light Take on a Tropical Classic

Delicious and refreshing without the heaviness.

pina colada recipe
Photo by Marisa Chafetz for Supercall
Photo by Marisa Chafetz for Supercall

We love our Piña Coladas at Supercall, but when made properly with Coco Lopez, the frozen cocktail can be heavy and packed with sugar—not something we want to be drinking all the time. Sweet Afton’s Cory Miller feels the same, which is why he made this version with Malibu Rum in place of the canned coconut cream. “I wanted to create a Piña Colada variation without using Coco Lopez, which I don't love, so instead I combined coconut rum and an egg for a savory thickness,” Miller says. “Coconut flavor can be overwhelming on its own, so when I use Malibu, I cut it with another rum and another spirit. If there's too much coconut in a drink, it destroys it—it becomes too sweet, and I can tell I'll have a hangover in two hours." Miller uses Plantation Pineapple Rum and Cynar, an artichoke amaro, to subdue the sweetness of the drink. Cinnamon syrup gives it a spiced depth, which somehow makes it taste even more tropical than the original.

Drunken Elephant

FLAVOR PROFILE
Sweet
STRENGTH
DIFFICULTY
easy

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 oz Malibu
  • .5 oz Pineapple Rum
  • .5 oz cynar
  • .75 oz Pineapple Juice
  • .5 oz lime juice
  • .25 oz Cinnamon Syrup
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • 1 Egg
  • Cinnamon stick
  • mint

INSTRUCTIONS

Step one

Add all ingredients save for the garnishes to a shaker without ice, and dry shake.

Step two

Fill the shaker with ice and shake again until the cocktail is chilled.

Step three

Double strain the drink into a tiki or tulip glass. Add crushed ice and garnish with grated cinnamon and mint.

Contributed by Cory Miller