Pool party: No blend Pina Colada mocktail
No mess, no fuss but a total mocktail mouth party!
Here’s a short but sweet mid-week mocktail for your taste buds!
I used to hate pineapple, plus, living in a cold climate meant there was only a short tropical drinks season so I never got into pina coladas. There was also wine, and so much of it, I never gave even a sideways glance to the cocktail menu. It wasn’t until starting to play around with mocktails that I discovered that a small amount of pineapple is actually ok with coconut, which I adore.
I also have a small kitchen, in my teeny tiny urban semi-detached, so there is no counterspace for a blender…or an air fryer, or a rice cooker or a Ninja Creamii (my god, how big are your countertops ladies????).
My heavy blender is stashed away behind cooking oils and bags of flour, and extremely annoying to get out. But I wanted the feeling of a blender drink, without the blender, so I got to work on this no-blend pina colada mocktail.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy tropical drink:
→ 4 oz Lyre’s White Cane Spirit (or any alcohol-free white rum)
If you’ve never tried non alcoholic rum before, this is a well-crafted replica of the real thing. It has all the sugar cane flavours of traditional white rum but without the alcohol. I don’t like the other alcoholic rums in the market for this specific drink, because they are too ‘spicy’.
**Note: when building a drink with lighter non alcoholic spirits like this one, you have be heavy handed on the pour and be careful not to overpower it with other flavours. Non alcoholic pineapple drinks can be too sweet without proper portioning. Doubling up the usual measure of spirit will help the zero proof rum product shine through.
→ 1/2 cup pineapple juice (unsweetened is best)
→ 1.5 oz coconut cream
When I first started making mocktails, I had no idea what the difference was between coconut cream and coconut milk. Now I know…Coconut cream is not the same as coconut milk. Coconut milk is thinner and more watery, usually used in soups or curries. Coconut cream, on the other hand, is much thicker and richer, with a higher fat content. It’s what gives a pina colada that creamy mouthfeel.
→ juice from 1 fresh lime
→ 3 cups of ice (per serving)
The secret of a no-blend Pina Colada is the ice.
You cannot use normal ice for this recipe. Put 3 cups of ice cubes in a heavy ziploc bag and smash it with a rolling pin as much as you’d like to get crushed ice. Put it back in the freezer until you’re ready!
How to Make a Virgin Pina Colada Without a Blender
This drink is all about making it easy so you can hit the pool deck faster!
Fill a cocktail shaker with regular ice.
Add the non-alcoholic rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream, and lime juice.
Shake vigorously for 30 seconds - much longer than usual and much longer than your arm will want to! The coconut cream needs forceful shaking to emulsify properly and create that signature frothy top.
Fill your highball or Collins glass with the crushed ice.
Strain the shaker into the glass, knocking it at the end to get all the froth out.
Garnish and sip with a tropical playlist.
It’s that easy! No blender, no messy things to wash.
I hope you’ll give it a try for your next hot afternoon!
