The Piña colada owes its jolly genesis to my beloved ancestral homeland, the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean”, La Isla del Encanto, la ultima colonia de los Estados Unidos! (sorry, silly survival of socialism sympathy during my sophomore year of high school), Puerto Rico. While some tall tales trace it back to the legendary Robin Hood-esque pirate of Austrian descent from the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, Roberto Cofresí its true origins lie in the Twentieth Century. Our story takes place on August 16, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is protagonized by one of its employees, its alleged creator, Ramón “Monchito” Marrero. Apparently, the hotel management had expressly requested Monchito to mix a new marquee drink that would delight the demanding palates of its star-studded clientele. Monchito accepted the challenge, and after three intense months of blending, shaking and experimenting, the first piña colada was born. This story is apparently credible (so sayeth my sources) because the piña colada contains coconut cream as one of the primary ingredients, and the coconut cream of “Coco Lopez” (which is the primary pioneer) was invented in 1954 in the University of Puerto Rico by Ramón López Irizarry. This story is confirmed by José L. Díaz De Villegas in his book published by La Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico entitled appropriately enough: “Puerto Rico La Gran Cocina Del Caribe”.
In addition to the gorgeous goblet which is it sublime signature, its appropriately appealing accessory is that unabashedly ubiquitous little umbrella. Oh! You’re absolutely correct, that before taking another sumptuous sip we should recite this little prayer:
O Lord, with suppliant humility, we entreat Thee, that in Thy boundless mercy Thou wouldst grant the most Holy Roman Church a pontiff, who by his zeal for us, may be pleasing to Thee, and by his good government may be ever honored by Thy people for the glory of Thy name. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son who with Thee livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
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