Editing Piña colada (section)

== History ==
[[File:Piña Colada plate in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Ramón Portas Mingot is one of two bartenders credited with creating the drink in Puerto Rico.]]

===Legendary origins===

The earliest known folktale states that in the 19th century, [[Puerto Ricans |Puerto Rican]] pirate [[Roberto Cofresí]], to boost the morale of his crew, gave them a beverage or cocktail that contained coconut, pineapple, and white rum.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=110184 |title=Con diez cañones por banda... y una piña colada en la mano |work=El Nuevo Diario |date=9 July 2008 |language=es |access-date=11 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510064939/http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=110184 |archive-date=10 May 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> This was what would be later known as ''piña colada''. With his death in 1825, the recipe for the beverage was lost.<ref name="Nuestra" />

===First mentions===

In 1922, ''[[Travel Holiday|Travel]]'' magazine described ''piña colada'' as sugar, lime, and ice mixed in with pineapple juice and [[Bacardi|Bacardi rum]].<ref name="Bacardirum">{{Cite web |title= The Piña Colada |url= https://www.gotrum.com/editorials/cocktail-scientist/the-pi%C3%B1a-colada/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=gotrum.com}}</ref>

In 1924, [[National Geographic]] magazine, reporting from [[Puerto Rico]], mentioned a pineapple juice and crushed ice beverage, known locally as ''piña fría'' (cold pineapple)''.<ref name="Nuestra" />''

In 1950, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that "Drinks in the West Indies range from Martinique's famous rum punch to Cuba's pina colada (rum, pineapple and coconut milk)."<ref>{{cite news |title=AT THE BAR |date=16 April 1950 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

===Creation===

In 1954, [[University of Puerto Rico]] Professor [[Ramón López Irizarry|Ramon López Irizarry]] invented a new, improved method for the extraction of [[coconut cream]]. He patented the process and created [[Coco López]], a sweet, creamy coconut cream, which was used in the invention of the piña colada in [[Puerto Rico]]. This product, sold today as ''Cream of Coconut'', is widely available around the world, and is most commonly used to make the cocktail.<ref name="cocolopez">{{Cite web |title=Coco Lopéz: About Us |url=https://cocolopez.com/about-us |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=Cocolopez.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pina Colada Cocktail {{!}} Pina Colada Recipe {{!}} How to make a Pina Colada {{!}} BACARDÍ US |url=https://www.bacardi.com/us/en/rum-cocktails/pina-colada/#:~:text=Where%20was%20the%20Pi%C3%B1a%20Colada,always%20experiment%20with%20different%20flavors. |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Bacardi US/EN |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=epam-admin |date=2024-02-29 |title=A Drink in the Hand Equals a Foot in the Sand |url=https://www.bacardi.com/us/en/culture/a-drink-in-the-hand-equals-a-foot-in-the-sand/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Bacardi US/EN |language=en}}</ref> 

The [[Caribe Hilton Hotel]] claims Ramón "Monchito" Marrero created the piña colada in 1954 while a bartender at the hotel. According to this account, Marrero finally settled upon the recipe for the piña colada, which he felt captured the true nature and essence of Puerto Rico.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caribehilton.com/location-directions/ |title=Puerto Rico Hotels on the Beach |access-date=2013-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819135153/http://www.caribehilton.com/location-directions/ |archive-date=2012-08-19}}</ref> The hotel was presented with a proclamation in 2004 by Puerto Rico Governor [[Sila M. Calderón]] celebrating the drink's 50th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caribehilton.com/about/history/ |title=History of Caribe Hilton |access-date=8 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="Monchito">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/pina-colada-caribe-hilton-puerto-rico/index.html |title=Celebrating the piña colada's birthplace |first=Lilit |last=Marcus |date=2 May 2019 |website=CNN Travel}}</ref>

A Spaniard by the name of Ricardo García also claims to have invented the drink in 1953, while working at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan.<ref name="Independent">{{cite news | title=The Backpage | newspaper=The Independent | url=https://newspapers.com/image/721307416/
| date=December 28, 2003 | access-date=November 15, 2023|page=24}}</ref><ref name="Diffords Guide 2014 r293">{{cite web | title=Piña Colada history | website=Difford's Guide | date=July 8, 2014 | url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1132/colada-cocktails/history | access-date=November 15, 2023}}</ref> 

Barrachina, a restaurant in Puerto Rico, says that "a traditional Spanish bartender Don Ramón Portas Mingot in 1963 created what became the world's famous drink: the Piña Colada."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barrachina.com/about.html |title=Best Restaurant in Old San Juan Puerto Rico |website=Barrachina |access-date=8 November 2018 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216194314/http://www.barrachina.com/about.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="two tales">{{cite web |url=http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues2/2005/vol09n12/CaribTalePina.html |title=A Caribbean Tale Of Two Piña Coladas |website=Puerto Rico Herald}}</ref>

In 1978, [[Puerto Rico]] proclaimed the cocktail to be its official drink.<ref name="Nuestra">{{cite news |url=http://www.elnuevodia.com/nuestrapinacoladacumple60anos-1831147.html |title=Nuestra piña colada cumple 60 años |last=Pérez Rivera |first=Tatiana |language=es |work=[[El Nuevo Día]] |url-access=subscription |date=10 August 2014 |access-date=13 July 2014 |archive-date=3 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103060750/http://www.elnuevodia.com/nuestrapinacoladacumple60anos-1831147.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="colada">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/news/the-birth-of-the-pina-colada |last=Klein |first=Christopher |date=June 16, 2015 |title=The Birth of the Piña Colada |work=[[History (U.S. TV network)|History]] |access-date=July 14, 2019}}</ref>