If you like piña coladas… well, you’re in good company. The Puerto Rican cocktail probably best associated with sunny climes and beach chugging has also got a bit of a hold on Londoners. So go totally tropical and say ‘hola’ to these mean versions being mixed in some of London’s best bars.
Sometimes, summer in London can be claustrophobic. Make like ‘The Piña Colada Song’ and escape at Ridley Road Market Bar, a beach shack boozer in Dalston that does a roaring trade in good times as well as frozen piña coladas. It’s a mise-en-scene made for instant tropical vibes, and best of all, these drinks cost £5 a pop. Way cheaper than a ticket to Puerto Rico.
What’s missing in the most epic of summer drinks? Champagne, says Bethnal Green bar Coupette. It’s also chucked coconut sorbet into the mix to make what may be one of the best cocktails in London. It’s somehow simultaneously creamy and light; tropical and chic. Je voudrais dix, s’il vous plaît.
What’s the best thing about being on holiday? Drinking from a pineapple, of course. Fast-track those tropical vibes in this naughty little basement in west London where piña coladas – sorry, Trailer Coladas – served in pineapples are pretty much compulsory. Pop in a straw and get chugging.
Photo: Nia Davies
I mean, no decent retro bar would be complete without the most retro of drinks, the piña colada, on its menu. The one at ’70s shag-pad Bobby Fitzpatrick comes from a slushie machine as well and is a natural fit for a setting of stucco ceilings and wicker furniture.
Hmm… this doesn’t look much like a piña colada. But trust this drink to deliver on all of those classic kick-ass flavours despite its delicate martini-like appearance. It’s a version that’s been cleverly clarified, making it extra sippable and totally transparent. Rumours of a lower calorie count are currently unconfirmed.
Dishoom does what it does best to the piña colada – gives it a Bombay twist. And it’s bombastic. Chai syrup, lime juice and a dash of coriander spice up the coconut and pineapple flavours to create something sent from the Hindi gods. And in a further stroke of genius, it also serves a virgin version that’s just as refreshing.
Okay, so there’s not a pineapple in sight. But this alternative to a piña colada is just as fruity and is a little less sharp for those who aren’t loco for the punchy Latino classic. Instead, it brings a different Caribbean flavour to the drink with mango and plantain. Don’t worry, that dreamy, creamy coconut is absolutely present. And it costs just £5 during happy hour. Hooray!
Most piña coladas give you the feeling of floating on a cloud. This one will have you riding high in a whole other sense, though. Served at coffee and cocktail bar chain Grind, the rum classic gets an extra kick from filter coffee, which is mixed with lime, pineapple and coconut-flavoured rum Koko Kanu. Zing!
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