10 Of The Most Interesting Facts About Piña Colada You Must Know

Celebrated on July 10 every year, today is National Piña Colada Day in the US. The popular cocktail is known throughout the world and deserves more than a passing mention. In India, everyone has had Virgin Piña Colada at least once. It is perhaps one of the most popular mocktails across the country. The cocktail has a colourful history and many interesting facts, some of which you must know next time you’re sipping a Piña Colada.

1 – Piña Colada is the national drink of Puerto Rico, a US state, since 1978

2 – Piña means pineapple and colada means strained in Spanish. Essentially, the cocktail translates to strained pineapple, making pineapple juice an essential ingredient in the cocktail.

3 – According to popular legend, Piña Colada was invented by a pirate named Robert Cofresí who was born rich in Puerto Rico but turned into a pirate when the state began failing in the 1800s. Sadly, his exact recipe has been lost forever.

4 – The most widely recognised creator of Piña Colada is that it was created by Ramón “Monchito” Marrero, a bartender at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico when he was asked to create a signature drink. Marrero took three months to come up with the recipe of Piña Colada and launched it on August 16, 1954.

5 – In 2010, a cement mixer made 310 litres of Piña Colada, creating the world’s largest Piña Colada.

6 – Rupert Holmes’ song Escape (The Piña Colada Song) put the cocktail on the world map in 1979. Holmes himself never really liked Piña Coladas and called them medicinal.

7 – Almost every tiki bar will have Piña Colada on the menu.

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8 – While it’s a classic cocktail, there are many variations of Piña Coladas around the world with the Blue Hawaiian, that adds blue curacao to a classic Piña Colada being the most popular.

9 – Traditional Piña Colada with rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice can have as many as 650 calories.

10 – Thanks to Tiki culture, Piña Colada is one of the few cocktails that can be served fresh inside a cut pineapple or a fresh coconut shell.

Which of these facts did you find most intriguing? Let us know in the comments below.