70 years of Piña Colada!

Today is a day of celebration, a day that I am happy to celebrate.

And it is not only celebrated National Pina Colada DayBut this year they are celebrating its 70th anniversary… at least the one that was recorded on July 10, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton Hotel.

It happens that the origin of our national drink, which tourists from all over the world know us by, has been the subject of debate for many years. Only at the Caribe Hilton Hotel this drink is attributed to two bartenders: Ramon “Monchito” Marrero and Ricardo Garcia, who were to introduce the drink in the same year.

But he seems to have been the first to be recognized as an author because he received the commission that year to create an exclusive cocktail that resulted in the delicious and refreshing drink as we know it today and which he would perfect based on rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream in crushed ice.

A third person claimed responsibility for the attack, Ramon Portas Minot, a bartender at Barrachina in Old San Juan. In fact, the business, located on Fortaleza Street, has a plaque at its entrance claiming it was the birthplace of the drink in 1963.

Monchito recipe

6 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. coconut cream

1 oz. whipping cream (heavy cream)

2 oz. rum

½ cup ice

1 piece of pineapple slices

1 maraschino cherry

Procedure

Place all ingredients in a blender.

Mix until smooth.

Pour into a “hurricane” cup.

Garnish with pineapple and cherries.

Served with straw.

Starting from today, Caribe Hilton Hotel Celebrating 70 years of this cocktail with a series of activities that kick off this afternoon at 6:00 pm with the opening of the art exhibition “Our Pineapple Flavor”. With DJ and Calypso music.

– Tomorrow and Friday they will have live jazz from 6:00pm, Rums of Puerto Rico seminars and happy hour.

– Saturday from 2:00pm they celebrate the official World Rum Day with bartender competitions, Puerto Rican rum seminars, piña colada tastings and live salsa music.

– On Sunday starting at 5:00 p.m., they will present a Humberto Ramirez show, a tribute to Tito Puente and Benny Moret, and a tasting of piña coladas.