Piña Coladas

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted to create a frozen version bursting with real tropical fruit flavor. With that in mind, we first compared fresh pineapple, frozen pineapple, canned pineapple, and pineapple juice. Tasters found the natural flavor of fresh pineapple more appealing than the processed flavor of canned or juice. Since we were making a frozen drink, frozen pineapple (fresh fruit frozen at its peak of ripeness) offered the best of both worlds, providing the flavor of fresh while reducing the amount of additional ice needed for texture. Next we experimented with cream of coconut, coconut milk, and coconut cream. Many recipes call for cream of coconut, but tasters thought this made the drink taste like sunblock. Coconut milk was too thin and watery. We ultimately chose coconut cream for its great mouthfeel and rich, natural coconut flavor. As for the rum, choosing from the array of colors and grades was no easy task (though it was a fun one). White rum provided just the right flavor, holding its own with the pineapple and coconut without overpowering them.