For tips on how to make one at home, I called Mary Oglesby.
Mary, along with Paul Gilliam, is the founder of Midtown Memphis bars Cameo and Mary’s B.O.T.E. Which is an acronym for Mary’s Bar of Tropical Escapism!
Tip #1: Light rum works best. Mary says to steer clear of dark or flavored rums for the base of this drink.
Tip #2: This one was a surprise to me. Mary says you'll actually get a more intense flavor from canned pineapple juice as opposed to fresh.
Tip #3. Not all coconut creams are the same! Mary recommends Coco Lopez or Réal for store-bought. You need something with high sugar content.
Tip #4: A pina colada can be made on the rocks or frozen. If serving on the rocks, Mary says to get that good crushed ice from Sonic. Or stop by Mary's BOTE and she’'ll get you hooked up!
Tip #5: Mary doesn't recommend blending with ice, as that will make your drink super watery. Instead, shake the heck out of it with lots of ice until it's cold and foamy. Then strain the ice and freeze that mixture for blending.
Mary says that Pina Coladas are very customizable. Her go-to variations on the classic include substituting either orange juice or strawberry syrup for half the pineapple juice.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Cheers!
Mary Oglesby’s Pina Colada
A pina colada can be made on the rocks or frozen. This recipe works for both.
- 2 oz. light Caribbean rum (Mary recommends Bacardi and Cruzan)
- 3 oz. pineapple juice
- 2 oz. coconut cream
Place the rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream in a shaker. Shake vigorously with lots of ice. Then either strain over pebble ice, or freeze for a few hours and then quickly blend.
Serve in a hurricane glass or other large format glass.
Float a half ounce of dark rum on top if desired.
Serves 1.
