With or without cherries and novelty cocktail sticks, this tropical drink’s a winner. But should you go for dark or light rum? Coconut water, coconut milk or something else? Well we’ve enlisted the help of leading cocktail expert Aoife Halliday, from Patterns in Brighton, to show you how to make the perfect piña colada.
Ingredients:
12.5mls lime
25mls Homemade Watermelon Syrup
25mls Pineapple Juice
35mls Coconut Milk
5mls Wray and Nephew over proof rum
10mls Koko Kanu coconut rum
35mls Santa Teresa rum
For the Watermelon Syrup:
½ a watermelon
400g cane sugar
How to make Watermelon Syrup:
Chop up the watermelon. Peel the watermelon, slice and quarter. Put a layer of pineapple in a container/jar/bowl and cover in sugar, another layer and repeat. Make sure all the watermelon is sugar coated. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight, the sugar should have dissolve into the watermelon and vice versa, strain the liquid out. (You can keep the sugared watermelon pieces to make puree)
Method:
Put everything into a Boston, shake 8-12 times hard, ice depending) and strain over rocked ice into a Hurricane glass. Cap with crushed ice and garnish with a Pineapple leaf, wedge and cherry. Apply suitably loud clothing, channel your inner Del Boy and relaaaax.
*For a non-alcoholic version replace rum with coconut water and whizz in a blender with crushed ice.
Brighton’s seafront bar and cultural hotspot Patterns will celebrate National Pina Colada Day in a Sunday Social special on Sunday July 10th. The event is free and £15 brunch deals are running on the day, including bottomless Pina Coladas!
Image credit: Filipe Ruivo Guerreiro
