The Original Piña Colada Rum — And The Richer Version An Expert Recommends

A cold and refreshing piña colada transports you to the sandy shores of the Caribbean with just a single sip — but only if it's a good one. There are plenty of ways that this drink can go wrong, though one stands out the most: rum choice. Pick a mediocre bottle, and it'll turn out cloyingly sweet instead of being the fruity and bright drink that you're probably expecting. That's one of the reasons why Tatsing Table sat down with Chris Gaspar, a bartender at The Rum House in New York City — we'd like to settle this dilemma once and for all by finding out what the ultimate bottle of rum one should pick up for this iconic drink.

As it turns out, the answer wasn't something too nouveau. When the piña colada was born in 1954, its inventor, Ramon "Monchito" Marrero, a bartender at the Caribe Hilton, used a bottle of Don Q rum as its spirit base. And if it's good enough that it instantly rocketed the recipe into the history of mixology as one of the best, you bet it's good enough for an at-home colada.

However, Gaspar also made a second recommendation that you might want to heed. Rather than Don Q Gold, try Gran Reserva 7 instead. While the classic is lighter and brighter, the Gran Reserva 7 can bring your piña colada a richness that's hard to beat, thanks to it having been aged for seven years in an oak barrel. "It's bold, with hints of tobacco and dried fruit," reviewed Gaspar. Once these flavors blend into your drink, they work alongside the classic fruity notes to give you a colada that's genuinely exceptional.

Despite not being a particularly expensive bottle of rum (it runs about $30), if you've gotten this far, try to do this good dram justice. Pour your rum into the blender first as the foundation for the drink, then pour on top of it a few ounces of pineapple juice and coconut cream, plus fresh pineapple chunks. If possible, we highly recommend DIY-ing both of these ingredients. Fresh, from-fruit pineapple juice is much more vibrant than whatever you can get from a carton (and, thanks to the extra fiber, it can give the drink body, too). While you can get coconut cream from a can, it's easier to make at home than you'd think — literally just pop coconut milk into the fridge. The point is, you want to "chase" the Gran Reserva 7 with as many quality ingredients as you can find. Cheap components will just muddy it, and you'd be wasting a decent spirit.

Blend it all together with ice. You'll end up with a fresh, silky colada — the kind that'll actually justify all that fussing. Rim the glass with a pineapple wedge or stick a cute, tiny umbrella on top if you have one. Now give it a taste. The oak and spice from the rum cut through all that tropical sweetness instead of drowning in it — that's why pros keep reaching for this bottle.