Post #225482 by thinkingbartender on Fri, Apr 7, 2006 5:24 AM

Thanks captnkirk.

From what I have been able to gather the Pina Colada seems to have started life as a non-alcoholic drink, which was either served "colada" (strained) or "sin colar" (without straining). The Pina Colada was also alternatively known as a Pina Fria.

IN CUBA AND JAMAICA by H. G. de Lisser Gleaner Company, Kingston 1910

Pg. 10:

"You ask for "pina fria," and he takes a pineapple and peels it and cuts it into large chunks and pounds it up with white sugar and ice and water, and hands the concoction to you in a huge, thick tumbler, and you find it delicious."

From NEW YORK HERALD-TRIBUNE, 22 March 1952, pg. 9, col. 7:

"Pina Fria has music in its name; two fingers of cold fresh pineapple juice are blended with one and one-half ounces of white Puerto Rican rum and a half teaspoon of sugar. Shake with fine ice; strain into a champagne glass."

From December 1922 issue of TRAVEL magazine:

"But best of all is a pina colada, the juice of a perfectly ripe pineapple -- a delicious drink in itself -- rapidly shaken up with ice, sugar, lime and Bacardi rum in delicate proportions. What could be more luscious, more mellow and more fragrant?"

So its seems that the Pina Fria and Pina Colada were available with, or without the addition of Rum. It doesn't really stretch the imagination to say that the Pina Colada could have been made by some people with or without Coconut as well.

New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Apr 16, 1950. p. XX3 (1 page):

"Drinks in the West Indies range from Martinique's famous rum Punch to Cuba's pina colada (rum, pineapple and coconut milk)."

It is interesting that Trader Vic lists the Pina Colada without Coconut, and the Bahia with Coconut, as seperate drinks. I read somewhere that Trader Vic didn't like to use the name Pina Colada because it didn't sound "Tiki" enough, though that begins to sound like a bit of a dubious claim.

Cheers!

George