~ Pina Colada + Strawberry Daiquiri = Lava Flow ~
If you've been following Kitchen Encounters this past week, you've noticed that it's been "feature the pineapple week". Yes folks, right here in Central Pennsylvania, my husband Joe managed to grow three gorgeous pineapples (in large pots on our deck), which were all ripe and ready to harvest. Using them as my inspiration, I started by my making my ~ Pineapple, Avocado, Tomato and Onion Salsa ~, which can be found in Categories 1, 8, 10, 13 or 14!
I used the salsa as my topping for a very old and special Mexican recipe: ~ Tacos al Pastor (Shepherd's-Style Tacos) ~. Tacos al pastor, which features thinly shaved pork and grilled pineapple in a spicy adobo sauce, is a very unique recipe and I'm proud to have developed a delicious version that can be made in the home kitchen. My recipe can be found in Categories 3, 13 and 19, plus, you can watch me make it this Sunday morning on my Kitchen Encounters cooking segment on WHVL-TV's Centre of it all show (local Comcast channel 14 at 11:30AM)!
Pineapple week deserves 3 great Summertime cocktails!
A bit about the pina colada: This is the king of tropical drinks, and, is the official drink of Puerto Rico. In Spanish, "pina" means "pineapple", and, "colada" means "strained". Stories about its origin date back to the 1800's, when Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresi served his crew a mixture of coconut, pineapple and rum to boost morale. The widely accepted version of its origin is: In 1954, the management of San Jan's Beachcomber Bar requested bartender, Ramon Marrero, to create a drink to serve to visiting celebrities. He sold his first pina colada on August 15, 1954, and, in 1978, the Coco Lopez company presented Mr. Marrero with an award for selling the three-millionth pina colada!
The original recipe consisted of strained, fresh pineapple juice, coconut cream and white rum, garnished with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry. Pina coladas can be served shaken or blended, but my hands-down favorite is the "blended to a smoothie state" kind. On a side note: I do not care for versions that substitute coconut milk for coconut cream, or, include condensed milk, which tends to make the drink overly sweet!
A bit about the daiquiri/strawberry daiquiri: Named for Daiquiri, a village in Cuba, it is said to have been developed by American contractors taking advantage of abundant supplies of rum, sugar and citrus juice (the basis for this cocktail). Over time, the drink was mixed with shaved ice, to cut its sweetness. Nowadays, the daiquiri is mostly associated with the frozen daiquiri, which includes fruit or frozen fruit in the mixture (with bananas and strawberries being the most common)!
The Hawaiian Lava Flow Cocktail!
This is probably my all-time favorite frozen drink cocktail. Why? Because it combines my two favorite Summertime cocktails into one totally awesome tropical drink: The pina colada and the strawberry daiquiri. If you've ever traveled to Hawaii (and you drink), you've no doubt had a few of these cocktails. It is named "lava flow" because when white pina colada mixture gets added to the red strawberry daiguiri mixture, the strawberry mixture bubbles up into the drink, resembling the lava flowing off of The Big Island into the Pacific ocean (which is a beautiful sight). It's "artsy" to look at and easy to prepare too, with the only trick being: blend the two mixtures separately, rinsing out the blender in between steps one and two!
For best results, get the hardware in place before measuring the liquids and prepping the fruit.
For the hardware:
blender
1-2-ounce cocktail measure (for measuring liquids)
1-cup dry measure (for measuring diced fruits)
2-cup measuring container w/pourer spout, preferably freezer safe
cutting board
paring knife or chef's knife
For the pina colada mixture (yields 1 quart/4, 8 ounce pina coladas):
3 cups ice cubes
2 ounces coconut rum
2 ounces light rum
3 ounces pineapple juice
4 tablespoons cream of coconut
juice from 1/2 lime
1 cup sliced banana, nicely ripened/slighly soft is best, about 1 large banana or 1 1/2 small bananas
1 generous cup medium-diced pineapple
For the strawberry daiquiri mixture (yields 1 1/2 cups/2, 6 ounce strawberry daiquiries):
1 cup ice cubes
2 ounces light rum, or coconut rum (Note: I use coconut rum to make the lava flow cocktail.)
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 generous cup sliced strawberries
For the garnishes:
pineapple wedges, sliced strawberries and/or sliced bananas
~ Step 1. Place all of the ingredients for the strawberry daiquiri mixture in blender. Blend at high speed, until thick and smooth, about 15 seconds. Transfer to measuring container and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, while:
~ Step 2. In blender, place all ingredients for the pina colada mixture. Blend at high speed, until thick and smooth, about 15-30 seconds.
~ Step 3. Remove the strawberry mixture from the freezer and divide it evenly into the bottom of 4 glasses.
~ Step 4. Add the pina colada mixture to each glass. Garnish each cocktail with fruit(s) of choice, and, don't forget the paper umbrella!
Pina Colada + Strawberry Daiquiri = Lava Flow: Recipe yields 4, 12-ounce lava flow cocktails, or, 2, 2-ounce strawberry daiquiries, or, 4, 8-ounce pina coladas!
Special Equipment List: blender; 1-2-ounce cocktail measure; 1-cup dry measure; 2-cup measuring container w/pourer spout; cutting board; paring knife or chef's knife
Cook's Note: For another one of my favorite Summertime cocktail recipes, read ~ June 15th: It's Time for "Mel's Big Pink Drinks" ~ in Categories 10, 11, 16 or 17. Summer is definitely the time to get creative with cocktails. For more ideas, click on the Related Article links below!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2012)
Simon: Right on -- Roll on Summer!!!
Posted by: Kitchen Encounters | 04/10/2016 at 12:51 PM
Looks so good, love these cocktails. Roll on summer.
Simon
Posted by: plasterer bristol | 04/10/2016 at 12:39 PM