Pina colada by the shore. Eric Teco / Pixabay.com / 2012 / CC0 1.0
The 10th of July is Pina Colada Day.
In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the perfect time of year for this iced classic Caribbean cocktail featuring rum, pineapple and coconut.
If you are counting calories but still want to celebrate, lighter versions can be made using coconut milk or coconut water instead of the coconut cream.
Activities for today
- Look on apps for deals and promotions at bars today;
- join some friends on a bar patio by the water in the sun for a pina colada;
- host your own pina colada party;
- experiment with different pina colada variations;
- serve pina coladas in a hollowed-out pineapple half or half a coconut shell;
- remember to have lots of ice on hand for the day – and paper cocktail umbrellas;
- you can skip the rum for any designated drivers. See Mocktail version below;
- freeze some to make ice pops;
- try a recipe for pina colada pork, pina colada cake or pina colada cream pie;
- get your tropical print shirts and dresses out;
- if you are having a backyard party, don’t forget the string lighting, paper lanterns and tiki torches;
- take a selfie of yourself enjoying a pina colada, and use a web app such as Fotor to change the background to make it look like you are on a beach or on the deck of a cruise ship.
#NationalPinaColadaDay #PinaColadaDay
FYI: Cream of Coconut vs Coconut Cream vs Creamed Coconut
See also: Coconut, Rum, Pineapple
Mocktail Pina Colada
The earliest recipes from the 1920s and 1930s had no alcohol in them, so “mocktail” versions are actually authentic!
125 ml (4 oz.) cream of coconut
125 ml (4 oz.) pineapple juice
Splash of coconut milk
1 cup of ice
Blend all in blender on high until smooth.
Yield: 2
Recipe source: Celebrate Piña Colada Day with a delicious mocktail. ABC 11 News. Accessed June 2021 at https://abc11.com/food/celebrate-pina-colada-day-with-a-delicious-mocktail/1419128/
Rupert Holmes released his now-famous “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” in October 1979, with only three months left to the year and the decade. Yet, such was its immediate and immense popularity that those three months alone were enough to allow it to become one of the top songs of the entire decade.
History
The earliest print mention that CooksInfo is aware of for a Pina Colada Day in July occurred in Alberta, Canada, in 1985:
“Our special days tend to be altruistic, drawing attention to various causes. Or they urge us to butt out on Weedless Wednesday. But how about a Fibre Friday, or a Detoxify Your Liver Day to follow Pina Colada Day (July 10)?” —
Pierce, Gretchen. Wacky days needed to perk up our weeks. Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Journal. Sunday, 3 Feb 1985. Page B1, col. 1.
Many web pages parrot each other in saying that Joan Crawford pronounced pina coladas to be “better than slapping Bette Davis in the face.” However, a search by CooksInfo of the three largest U.S. and U.K. newspaper archive databases available failed to provide any backup for this assertion.
Sources
It’s Not National Pina Colada Day Without A Pina Colada (Or Two).WMMR 93 FM. 10 July 2017. Accessed June 2021 at https://wmmr.com/2017/07/10/national-pina-colada-day/
Laurence, Emily. 15 Ways to Cheers National Piña Colada Day. Brit+Co. 10 July 2014. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.brit.co/how-to-celebrate-national-pina-colada-day/
Morrow, Kylie. Celebrate National Pina Colada Day on July 10. Sandals Resorts Blog. 10 July 2018. Accessed June 2010 at https://www.sandals.com/blog/national-pina-colada-day/
Rose, Missi. The Perfect Pina Colada Recipes for National Pina Colada Day. 5 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at http://drinkwire.liquor.com/post/the-perfect-pina-colada-recipes-for-national-pina-colada-day#gs.6E9yXKao
Today Is National Piña Colada Day! Toronto, Canada: Z103.5 News. 10 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://z1035.com/2018/07/10/today-is-national-pina-colada-day/
Young’s celebrates National Piña Colada Day. Bar Magazine. 3 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://barmagazine.co.uk/youngs-celebrates-national-pina-colada-day/