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Galician piña colada, is it still a piña colada?

There is Galician pina colada. The spirit tradition of this community is impregnated in it thanks to its ingredients. Do you want to discover what is unique about it and how does it differ from the original? You will also review the history of the creation of the piña colada. Know the different versions of its origin. Take a notebook and a pen because you are going to learn to reinvent one of the most anticipated classics of each summer.

What is the Galician piña colada like?

Summer is coming and with it the cocktails. One of the best known worldwide has got a brother in Spain. So that. the Galician pina colada joins the car of drinks prepared with local wines in Galicia. In the case of the first, a feasible option is to imitate the version of Jonathan Couto Padin. This is a student from the hospitality school who prepared the mixture in conjunction with Marques de Vizhoja Winery. The result was liked so much that he received the award for the best combined in the I Cocktail Competition of your school

Galician piña colada differs a lot from the original
Galician piña colada differs a lot from the original / Source: Pixabay

Its main characteristic is that it does not contain rum. Jonathan Couto substituted this ingredient for the Pomace brandy d'Vizhoja PREMIUM. The success of the cocktail lies largely in the use of this liquor. To make one at home we need 5cl of the last mentioned drink and 1cl of Cointreau. We will also need 10cl of pineapple juice, for something it's called Galician pina colada, and the mash of eight ice. Therefore, another of its main characteristics is that it lacks coco. It is one of the key ingredients of the original version.

Origin of the piña colada

Everyone has agreed that it was created in Puerto Rico. However, there is a deputy around who and when. The official version ensures that its creator is called Ramon "Monchito" Romero. It is a barman from the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan. He was asked by his boss at the hotel Caribbean Hilton to create a whole new drink in 1954. This way you would attract more customers. He used coconut and pineapple to capture the tropical identity of the island. 

Fortunately, the coconut cream had just hit the market "Coco López". He used it in place of the natural coconut. He added some evaporated milk, rum, and pineapple. The result was a world famous team. As if that were not enough, he received the status of National Beverage of Puerto Rico in 1978. However, there are those who deny this version and add alternative theories to the official one. A companion of «Monchito», called Carlos Gracia, he claimed the credit for himself. The man claimed that the idea was his and that the official inventor was a fraud.

Other theories

One version assures that it was Spanish Ramon Portas Mingot who prepared it for the first time in 1963. He allegedly did it in the restaurant Barrachina, near the island's governor's palace. Its current owner continues to claim the authorship of Portas Mingot. As a curiosity we can mention that this place mixes the ingredients by machine. The Hilton waiters, meanwhile, make it by hand in a shaker.

piña colada
Two glasses of piña colada with Malibu / Source: Malibu Rum on Pinterest

However, these are not by far the wildest theories. The most bizarre suggests that the real inventor was the Puerto Rican pirate. Roberto Cofresi. Legend has it that he used to drink the rum that he carried on his ship, The mosquito, along with natural pineapple and coconut juice. It is also said that he offered this drink to his crew to boost their morale in times of need.

Is the Galician piña colada still a piña colada?

There will be those who wonder if ingredients matter so much. It depends on who, of course. For some, the Galician version is a great idea that captures the essence of the place where it is made. For others it is a sacrilege. Matter of taste. We encourage you to get creative, and give it a try before taking any position. Undoubtedly, the peculiarity of this version will surprise those who drink it with you. It is still a good suggestion for a first date. Or not. Dare to check it out.

 

 

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