A new spin on the Piña Colada

    The beginning of the year is typically not the time that many of us make any sizeable purchases, minus a few after Christmas sales. The cruise industry knows this and will make every effort to get you onto a cruise between now and spring break.
    The early part of the year is known as “wave season” and dollar for dollar is perhaps the best time of year to book a cruise. Incentives include reduced fares, cabin upgrades, and if you're lucky, drink vouchers.
    I know it's early and I know it's snowing. I also know that it's no fun at all to plan your tropical vacation drinking winter drinks. Put down the scotch or brandy for an evening and open the laptop.  It's time to pour your first tropical drink of the year while you search for the best wave season deals.
    This year's wave season cocktail is going to be an “updated” Piña Colada. I say updated because the Piña Colada is one of the few cocktails that has survived in its original state since it was born in Puerto Rico in 1954.
    Many if not most tiki drinks have been updated, and even upgraded during the craft cocktail boom. I finally found a Piña Colada recipe that was enough of a departure from the original that it deserved a look.  This modern spin on the Puerto Rican classic has me wondering if I'll ever go back to the original - it's that good.
    Some of the updates to classic cocktail recipes are different, but are they good? In this case the answer is a resounding yes.
    The original Piña Colada is not rocket science, nor was it intended to be. The original recipe (printed on every can of Coco Lopez) is simply light rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice blended with a cup of ice.  
    When I came across the first few modern Colada recipes I was shocked to see that very few of them included cream of coconut. How is it possible to make a Piña Colada without our dear friend Coco Lopez?
    Leave it to the foodies to show us the way. Coconut Sorbet has been the frozen treat of choice for generations in Puerto Rico and is now an integral part of the updated Piña Colada.  
    We're using ice cream in a Piña Colada?  No ice cream here, sorbet is fruit-based and contains zero dairy whatsoever.  
    I simply love coconut sorbet in the Piña Colada. It's not overly sweet and the consistency is absolutely perfect for a blended drink. There are several coconut sorbet recipes online. Some require an ice cream maker and some do not. Fresh sorbet is downright delicious and you can always eat what you don't use in your cocktail.
    If you choose to skip the DIY step and pick up your sorbet at your local grocer, be sure to read the label to make sure that you're not buying coconut ice cream. Nationwide retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have several quality coconut sorbet options.
    The other ingredient that caught me by surprise in the updated Piña Colada is lime juice. Yes, lime juice is used in the vast majority of rum-heavy cocktails, but the Piña Colada is unapologetic sweetness and makes no effort to balance the sweet with sour. That has changed.
    The one ounce fresh lime juice is a perfect complement to the overly sweet ingredients that make up this Caribbean classic. I'm sure mixologists have been adding a squeeze of lime to this drink for years, but lime juice has never been included in the official recipe. For the record, the recipe printed on the Coco Lopez can is the official International Bartenders Association recipe.
    So we are adding coconut sorbet and lime juice to the regular Piña Colada stuff i.e. light rum and pineapple juice. Is it going to taste that much different than the original
    Yes, it will, and it has every bit as much to do with how the drink is blended as what is in the drink.
    You don't need a $500 blender to turn out good blended drinks, but you will need the right type of ice. The perfect ice for blended drink is an ice that blends easily. Always blend with lightly crushed ice or small ice pellets. The large cubes of ice from your freezer will not blend well.
    I used to think that the type of rum used in a Piña Colada could make it great as opposed to pretty good. I have learned that there is so much going on flavor-wise in a Piña Colada that you are wasting any rum that is above what I call “the Bacardi line.”
    Any modestly priced light rum will turn out a fine Piña Colada: Bacardi, Cruzan, El Dorado and Flor de Cana are all great options.
    The Piña Colada has been in a virtual comfort zone for more than half a century, a sort of “we have always made it this way” cocktail. I typically drink only one Pina Colada per year, only ordering a second if the first one was good.
    I had to try this one, albeit out of season. I'm glad that I did. It's a new year. Let's try some new things.
    The Coconut Sorbet Piña Colada is built in a blender and served in a chilled Hurricane glass.
    Add to blender:
    4 oz light rum
    1 oz fresh lime juice
    3 oz coconut sorbet
    3 oz pineapple juice
    18 oz (by volume) pebble ice
    Blend until smooth, serve in chilled Hurricane glass.
    Garnish with pineapple wedge.
    Until next week, enjoy responsibly.