National Piña Colada Day: NYC Restaurant Makes Largest Cocktail Ever, Plus Recipes

The Piña Colada was created in Puerto Rico and it has been the Island's National Drink since 1978. It became an internationally acclaimed cocktail when a bartender working at the Caribe Hilton Hotel's Beachcomber Bar in San Juan started mixing them in 1963.

Every July 10th the United States celebrates this sweet cocktail made with rum, coconut cream or coconut milk, and pineapple juice. In New York City a restaurant will unveil the largest Piña Colada ever made in history!

Selena Rosa restaurant, mixed the oversized drink with a cement mixer- epic! The six foot glass was served in front of the Upper East Side restaurant and hold over 150 gallons of Piña Colada.

The restaurant shared free of charge with all LIRR commuters, NJ Transit and Amtrack riders, after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proclaimed "the summer of hell" at Penn Station for the Amtrack repairs that go into effect on July 1 through September 10, 2017.

The name piña colada literally means "strained pineapple," a reference to the freshly pressed and strained pineapple juice used in the drink's preparation. This cocktail gained worldwide fame after Rupert Holmes released his 1979 song, "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)," which became a popular hit around the world.

There are many recipes of how to make a piña colada, and variations are endless. Some people may use different proportions of the core ingredients, as well as different types of rum. Find below some recipes to make the creamiest piña colada ever!

• Cuban Piña Colada

​INGREDIENTS:

2 parts BACARDÍ Superior Rum

1 1/2 part fresh coconut water

1 part fresh pineapple juice

3-4 chunks of fresh pineapple

2 tsp Caster sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Place the pineapple chunks into a cocktail shaker and crush them lightly (using a muddler or bar spoon). Then pour in the pineapple juice and coconut water and stir it all up to dissolve the sugar before pouring in the BACARDÍ Superior rum. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake until it’s frosted. Next pour the mix into a tall glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a pineapple slice and leaf.

• Malibu Piña Colada

INGREDIENTS:

Ice cubes

Malibu Original

Coconut cream

Ppineapple juice.

DIRECTIONS:

Fill a shaker with ice cubes. Add 1 part Malibu Original, ½ part coconut cream, and 1 ½ parts pineapple juice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass filled with ice cubes. Top with pineapple juice and garnish with fresh pineapple.