Pineapple’s combination of sweetness and acidity – which comes from its unique combination of both citric and malic acids – makes for an intriguing cocktail. Its tropical notes make it a natural partner for rum and it’s also a good match for tequila and cachaça. Many recipes will call for freshly squeezed fruit juice, although commercially available 100% pineapple juice is a good option.
Here are five of the best.
Piña Colada
This classic cocktail uses just three ingredients: white rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice to create a delicious, creamy and fragrant drink that’s the perfect choice for a summer party. Use one part each of rum and coconut to three parts pineapple and add a squeeze of lime if you like. Either shake with ice before serving or put the rum, cream and juice in a blender with crushed ice and whizz up to slushie consistency. Edmunds’ craft Piña Colada is designed to be served over rocks, garnished with a freeze-dried pineapple slice – pure perfection.
Piña Verde
An intriguing, colourful twist on a Colada, this pineapple-based cocktail is an elegant choice. It pairs two parts green Chartreuse with two parts pineapple juice and one part coconut cream, shaken till icy cold and strained into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with a generous sprig of mint.
Painkiller
With its origins in the British Virgin Islands in the 1970s, this variation on a Piña Colada uses a combination of both pineapple and orange juices and was traditionally made with Pusser’s dark rum which was a staple of the British navy. Pineapple should be the dominant flavour, so try experimenting with one part each of coconut cream and orange juice, together with two parts rum and four parts pineapple juice. Serve over ice in a hurricane glass with a scraping of nutmeg.
Pineapple Caipirinha
Brazil’s national cocktail, the Caipirinha, is centuries old – a Daiquiri-style drink blending the sugar cane-based spirit cachaça, with lime juice and sugar. This version begins with a few chunks of ripe pineapple muddled in the bottom of a shaker with mint leaves and sugar syrup before shaking with the cachaça and ice untill well chilled. Serve over ice in a rocks glass.
Pineapple Daiquiri
This super-simple fruity Daiquiri variant is a shoo-in for summer. Throw a few frozen pineapple chunks into a blender with a shot or two of white rum, a splash of lime juice and a dash of sugar syrup. Whizz up till smooth and serve with a skewer of lime and pineapple.
