Ma’Pina Colada Spritz – French Caribbean Twist on a Spanish Fave
Mid-1990s me was a big fan of the piña colada. My work duties at the time regularly brought me to Puerto Rico, land of the sweet and creamy cocktail’s birth. From the pool deck at the Caribe Hilton to the cozy courtyard surrounds of La Barrachina (both reputed birthplaces of Puerto Rico’s most iconic drink) and all points in-between, I sampled and enjoyed piña coladas all over La Isla del Encanto. These days, though, I think I’d be much more partial to the Ma’Pina Colada Spritz.
Tastes do tend to change with time, of course. And while I still fancy the fine light and dark molasses-based rums of Puerto Rico, my prevailing proclivities definitely lean more toward rhum agricole. Specifically, the otherworldly rhum agricoles from Martinique.
I never would’ve thought, however, of mixing up a rhum agricole version of a piña colada. Maybe I’ve become too much of a purist in regards to cocktail tradition. I mean, can you imagine using a molasses-based rum to mix a ti’punch?! That would be a crime!
- 1 part Rhum Clément Mahina Coco
- 2 parts Pineapple Juice
- 3 parts Dry Sparkling Wine
Ma’Pina Colada Spritz, though, splits the difference by building upon the base coconut and pineapple flavors of a piña colada to create an entirely new cocktail. As you can see in the image above, the Ma’Pina Colada Spritz bears very little resemblance to a traditional piña colada.
I’m also guessing, based on the ingredients, that it may carry similar health “benefits” as this long-ago post aimed at weight-conscious piña colada lovers. Maybe.
Anyway, here’s how you make it…
How to Mix a Ma’Pina Colada Spritz
First, grab a stemmed wine glass and load it with ice. Next, add your Rhum Clément Mahina Coco, pineapple juice, and dry sparkling wine. Finally, stir quickly. That’s it!
The key to this cocktail, of course, is the Rhum Clément Mahina Coco. Our friends at Habitation Clément are careful use only young coconuts, plucked fresh from towering coconut trees, to make this sublime creole liqueur. Young coconuts are the juiciest of the tropical fruits; their “meat” the jelly so prized throughout our islands.
Editor’s note: Save 10% off your next bottle of Rhum Clément Mahina Coco when you order online at Spiribam.com and enter code UCRHUM at checkout.
The tender sweetness of the young coconut soused with rhum agricole offers an uncommon taste of Martinique delicious all on its own.
In the Ma’Pina Colada Spritz, though, it truly shines.
Santé!
*Photo credit: @angeltucker & @littlebittecocktails.