Once upon a time, the piña colada was so delicious that an unknown singer named Rupert Holmes wrote a song about finding a beautiful stranger through the classified ads based on their mutual enjoyment of the tropical drink. It didn’t take long for the piña colada to be done in by its new-found popularity, however. It quickly became infamous for being a nasty too-sweet drink, probably because of the lower-quality rums and processed mix used at less-than-stellar resorts and bars.
Today the mash-up of pineapple and coconut is having a revival. Why, you can’t even go into a Target without being inundated with home goods and clothing bearing the pineapple. And take a look at this $19,000 Gucci evening gown that boasts pineapple puffy sleeves and dueling parrots. These golf pants are sold out. Why? Because they make a very fruity statement. And coconuts? Don’t even get us started. While coconut oil and coconut milk are billion-dollar industries, for just under $60 you can make a coconut statement in this Wildfox fringe thingy.
Whether you’re more into evening wear or shredded nightgowns, you can wear either at Daiquiri Time Out in Galveston, which is both a casual beach-town bar, but also upscale in terms of the spirits carried. It’s also where we recently had one of the best piña coladas, ever. DTO is a few blocks off The Strand in Galveston, within strolling distance from the noisy tourist attractions.
If you’re not one for blenders, or you just don’t want to drag it out to make one drink, note that this version is shaken, not frozen. Bartender and DTO co-owner Brad Stringer even shared his recipe with us.
The Piña Colada at Daiquiri Time Out
DTO’s Piña Colada
1 1/2 oz. Denizen aged white rum
1 oz. fresh pineapple juice
3/4 oz. coconut cream
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/4 oz. turbinado syrup (2:1 simple syrup made with turbinado sugar)
METHOD: Combine all ingredients in shaker tins with cubed ice. Shake and strain into a collins glass over fresh ice and top with crushed ice. Garnish with toasted coconut shaving and a cherry.
DTO co-owner Brad Stringer
One of the reasons we deemed this one of the best piña coladas we’ve had in recent times? It wasn’t overly sweet. It was balanced and not too boozy.
I asked Stringer why he prefers this particular rum. “Denizen aged white rum is a blend with Trinidadian aged charcoal-filtered rum and Jamaican rum,” he said. “On the nose you get tropical fruits like pineapple and coconut, which plays well in a piña colada but the rum finishes with nice vanilla notes from the barrel aging that rounds out the cocktail.”
And there you have it. Cheers!
Daiquiri Time Out, 2701 Market Street at 27th St., Galveston, 409-497-2760, dtogalveston.com
Hours: Tues. to Sun. 4 pm-2 am