Best Rum for a Pina Colada
Best Rum for a Piña Colada
The best rum for a Piña Colada is a rum with no added sugar, because coconut cream and pineapple juice already bring plenty. Our pick is Bombarda Plunder for the classic, or Drake for a darker, richer version.
Why sweetness is the whole problem
A Piña Colada is the sweetest drink in the standard rum repertoire. Cream of coconut is sugar-heavy by design, pineapple juice adds more, and the result is a drink that tips into dessert very easily.
Add a rum that has been sweetened at the bottling line and there is no counterweight left anywhere in the glass. The drink becomes one-note. A dry rum with real character does the opposite — it cuts through the coconut and gives the whole thing a spine.
Our picks
Plunder — clean and bright. The classic Piña Colada choice.
Drake — a five-origin dark blend. The base for our Chase Gun Colada, which is richer and less sweet than the standard build.
Revenge — our dark Jamaican spiced rum, if you want the drink to carry spice as well as fruit.
The recipe
Two ounces rum, one and a half ounces pineapple juice, one and a half ounces coconut cream, blended with ice. Use real cream of coconut rather than a pre-made colada mix, and fresh pineapple juice if you can get it. Full recipe.
For a variation, our Watermelon Painkiller takes the same coconut and pineapple base somewhere else entirely.
What to look for in any rum
Avoid coconut-flavoured rum — the coconut should come from the cream, not the spirit. Avoid anything heavily sweetened. A rum that tastes dry and slightly grassy or peppery neat will make a far better Colada than one that tastes pleasant on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Should a Piña Colada use white or dark rum?
The classic uses white rum. A dark or aged rum makes a richer drink with more depth, and many bartenders float a dark rum on top of a white rum build to get both.
Can I use coconut rum in a Piña Colada?
You can, but it usually makes the drink sweeter and more artificial-tasting. Coconut cream already supplies the coconut; a flavoured rum tends to double it.
What is the difference between a Piña Colada and a Painkiller?
A Painkiller adds orange juice to the pineapple and coconut, is shaken rather than blended, and is finished with grated nutmeg. It is generally drier and more aromatic.
