We need to escape, and the travel companies know it.
We’re about to hit the bleakest time of year, when Christmas and New Year’s Eve become distant echoes, the days are permanently grey and freezing, and our bank balances are hanging on by a thread.
And it’s of course while we’re deep in the dreary winter trenches that holiday adverts start to kick in.
They arrive like clockwork all over social media, featuring images of impossibly tanned couples frolicking on suspiciously empty beaches to give us major FOMO. And to make matters worse, this year they’re all led by that horrendous Jet 2 Holiday meme.
But if you can’t afford to jet off, there’s an easy way to enjoy a tropical island fantasy, without the mandatory airport security queue: Whip up a Piña Colada.
The most escapist of drinks has long been associated with laminated package deal menus and conga lines, but in 2026, it’s being elevated from a naff guilty pleasure to become our beverage of the moment.
Where did the Piña Colada come from?
The drink is thought to have been created in Puerto Rico sometime during the 1950s by a bartender called Ramón ‘Monchito’ Marrero. He added the newly available Coco Lopez, a canned coconut cream, into a Cuban cocktail.
His drink was a combination of strained pineapple juice, rum and lime, hence the name, ‘strained pineapple’. ‘Piña’ means pineapple in Spanish, and ‘Colada’ means strained.
The cocktail proved so popular that it became the national drink of Puerto Rico in 1978.
And while some view it as naff, it’s got big fans in Northwich, near Manchester, where a Piña Colada festival is held each summer. The festival has been growing steadily, with the last one bringing in the biggest crowds an event in Northwich has ever seen.
And, if you’re thinking that Northwich seems like a pretty random place to celebrate the ultimate tiki-style drink, you’d have a point. Until you realise that it all came about, as they recently discovered that Rupert Holmes was born in Northwich in 1947.
Holmes was the composer of Escape (The Piña Colada Song), you know the one…
Why is the Piña Colada making a comeback now?
Gergö Murath, Founder of Punchbowl Consulting, agrees that it’s the ‘bleak’ state of everyday life in the UK that’s making people order the nostalgic drink again.
‘You can trace an uptick in the popularity of this escapist drink to a glimpse of relaxation, escape and tropical vibes that help deal with the bleak everyday reality,’ he tells Metro.
‘The increased availability of high-quality, fresh pineapple juice and good coconut cream is also helpful.’
And some bartenders have started putting a modern spin on it, reimagining the Piña Colada by deconstructing it or adding wacky ingredients. Be at One, for example, does a Colada Old Fashioned with Campari, Velvet Falernum and a Bourneville chocolate garnish, alongside their Absinthe Colada, with Malibu and Crème de Menthe.
Gergö claims the cocktail is ‘incredible’ as it is, saying: ‘I love a Colada, a drink that many, many crimes have been committed against, and one that for some reason a lot of bartenders look down upon.’
However, he has several suggestions for ‘dressing it up’ for those who want to add some extra complexity.
‘You can use bitters, you can use a bit of citrus, you can use salt, you can use a heavier rum than the classic Puerto Rican. There are plenty of ways of making the Colada more exciting, but just its base version is also amazing,’ he adds.
Do you like Piña Coladas?
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Yes
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No
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And getting caught in the rain...
How to make a Piña Colada
And with that in mind, here are two of Gergö’s Piña Colada recipes if you want to give the drink a try…
Classic Piña Colada
- 60ml Puerto Rican rum (preferably Don Q Gold (£29.50, Ocado)
- 30ml Coco Lopez
- 30ml pressed pineapple juice
- 2 pieces fresh pineapple chunks
Blend with crushed ice, garnish with a cherry, pineapple wedge and cocktail umbrella.
Updated Version
- 30ml Puerto Rican Rum
- 20ml Fino Sherry
- 10ml pot still Jamaican Rum
- 30ml Coco Lopez
- 30ml pressed pineapple juice
- 2 pieces of fresh pineapple chunks
- 3 dashes saltwater solution (1:4 ratio salt to water)
Blend with crushed ice, garnish with a cherry, pineapple wedge and cocktail umbrella.
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