If you like Pina Colada then this bad boy in blue is the drink for you. It’s a super coconut and pineapple flavoured drink with a hint of orange. And with an option to blend or shake with ice, it's a party drink for any occasion.
Pour all ingredients into a shaker, then add enough ice to show above the surface of the liquid.
Shake vigorously for at least 20 seconds to ensure the cream of coconut is fully mixed, strain and pour into a chilled Hurricane or Highball glass filled with ice cubes.
OR - If you prefer this cocktail extra cold or ‘slushylike’ pour all your ingredients into a blender along with a cup of ice and blitz till the sound of ice cracking stops.
To make your garnish cut fresh pineapple into a wedge (leave the outer skin on for a nice contrast), place two cherries onto a cocktail stick and push into the pineapple, make a slit in the bottom of the wedge and place onto the side of the glass.
Finish the garnish by working two pineapple leaves down the side of the glass into the ice. Then place your edible flower on top of the drink in whatever space is left!
Notes
Bartender's Top Tip: to create the perfect blended drink (ie. if you're going down the route of making this a 'slushy') always make sure that your liquid line is equal to your ice line in the blender. This will create the best consistency and texture for your frozen cocktail. Too much ice and it will be hard to blend and less tasty, too much liquid and it will be too runny.
Substitutes
No Blue Curacao handy? If you've got a colourless Orange Curacao or a Triple Sec these will give you the same orange flavour. Grand Marnier could be used in a pinch, but as it's made with cognac it'll have a different flavour profile to Curacao and Triple Sec, which tend to be made with alcohol derived from sugar cane. And of course, don't forget the key element to this drink - its colour. Simply add a few drops of blue food colouring and you're good to go!
No Cream of Coconut in the cupboard? Coconut rum can be used to replace both the white rum and the coconut cream, or if that's not available use a dash of coconut syrup to replace just the cream of coconut. Whatever you do, never use coconut milk as a replacement, the flavour profile and mouthfeel are completely different.
Variations
Not Strong enough? Individual tastes vary and if you prefer a stronger Tiki drink and a bigger rum hit, simply add 2oz of rum instead of 1oz. It'll cut through the coconut sweetness of this drink with ease.
Run out of White/Light rum? You could use gold instead of white, or even use a Pusser Navy for a stronger depth of rum flavour, (think Pusser's Painkiller) just bear in mind that the dark rum would change the bright blue colour of the drink. But don't worry, it won't hurt the flavour to mix it up!
Too sweet? If you find this drink too sugary, add a half ounce of fresh lime to balance it out.
Not overly keen on rum? You can use vodka instead. This brings it a step closer to the German version of this cocktail, known as the ‘Swimming Pool’.
Watching the calories? Use less Cream of Coconut or a try a coconut flavoured rum instead of the white rum and then take out the calorie-laden cream of coconut.
Origin
The origin of this 70’s classic is a little blurry. It would seem that although it’s derivative (both in name and in colour) of the original 50’s 'Blue Hawaii', there are some claims that the combination of ingredients was formalised in 1979 in Munich by Charles Schumann when he created the aptly named 'Swimming Pool'.However, the use of cream and vodka in his recipe and the way the blue curacao is applied as a 'float', means that the look and feel of the drink is technically quite different to that of the Blue Hawaiian - although equally delicious!If you'd like to give the Swimming Pool a try, head on over to our article to find out everything you'll ever need to know about this swirling blue beauty.