This Mango Colada is a tropical spin on everyone's favorite Pina Colada. Just blend coconut cream, pineapple juice, and rum, then add pieces of fresh mango and ice and you have yourself one delicious cocktail. Then sit back, relax, close your eyes, and you'll swear you're in the islands.
Mango Pina Colada
Every year my husband and I take a trip to Key West just to get away from it all. It's a 5-hour leisurely drive from South Florida yet we feel like we took a trip to some far off tropical Caribbean island. The atmosphere is super relaxed, friendly and the weather is always perfect.
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One of our favorite cocktails to have as soon as we get settled in is my husband's famous mango colada, our take on the pina colada. I say it's famous because we always bring other people with us, or our family meets us there, and they have come to expect to have this cocktail in their hand ASAP.
Then we head, drink in hand, to the pool. After all, it's 5 o'clock somewhere.
Where did the pina colada come from?
We have Puerto Rico to thank for this delicious frozen concoction. In 1952, Ramon Perez, the head bartender at the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico, blended up the first pina colada cocktail. It continued to gain in popularity and, in 1978, it was named the National Drink of Puerto Rico. Our family spin on the original was developed in Key West, adding sweet mango to the mix.
Variations
- Yes, you can use a pina colada mixer but we prefer the individual ingredients without all the additives that go into the mix. And it's so easy there's no need for a mix.
- Don't care for mango? Try it with peaches, strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries.
- How about a mocktail! Just eliminate the rum and add slightly more pineapple juice.
- You can even make this with fresh pineapple. Cut a fresh pineapple into chunks and freeze on a cookie sheet then bag it. Take it out when you're ready to blend. Use 3 oz. of frozen pineapple for each 4 oz. of pineapple juice.
- Make it even more tropical by adding 1.5 oz. of Curacao to the cocktail. The result is a gorgeous turquoise blue drink that is always a hit!
- Easily change it into a smoothie bowl by leaving out the rum and adding yogurt to the mix.
Ingredients
Pineapple Juice - makes the base of this cocktail. Pina Colada means "strained pineapple" an apt name for this fruity drink. You can use unsweetened canned juice or fresh chunks of frozen pineapples. The fresh pineapple will make a frothier drink.
Cream of Coconut - the second most important ingredient is often confused with similar-sounding products such as coconut cream and coconut milk. Cream of coconut is thick and creamy with a nice sweetness to it. On the other hand, coconut cream lacks any type of sweetness, while coconut milk produces a thinner, less coconuty drink.
Mango - using a fresh cut-up mango, no need to freeze, adds another dimension of flavor to this drink. It blends perfectly well with all the other tropical flavors and produces a fruity drink that is totally refreshing.
Rum - you can't talk about a mango pina colada without the alcohol! Rum is the standard here and tends to be the most used liquor addition to tropical drinks. Light rum is sweet with a toasty flavor and complements these types of fruity cocktails. Stick with the light version as the darker rums tend to mask the fruity flavors.
Floater - this is totally optional, but we consider it necessary! Just add a splash of dark rum on top of each drink for another taste sensation.
How to make
This Mango Colada is a super-easy cocktail to make. All you need are 4 ingredients, a blender, and some ice.
- Add cream of coconut to a blender.
- Pour in pineapple juice or use fresh or frozen pineapple chunks.
- Add mango chunks. You can use anywhere from ½ to a whole mango depending on how much mango flavor you prefer. I find half of a large mango to be sufficient.
- Pour in a light rum. If you're more into coconut than pineapple, you can add coconut rum.
- Start the blender and puree ingredients while adding as much ice as you like for thickness.
- This beautifully colored, creamy, fruity mixture is now ready to pour in your glasses.
Tips
Chill the glass - When you want to keep the drink as icy as possible, you know, for those sweltering hot summer days, chill the glass. Just add crushed ice or ice-cold water to the glass then empty and pour in the frozen pina colada with mango.
Remember to shake the can of cream of coconut very well to get the right consistency. The cream will have risen to the top while sitting on the shelf.
This refreshing pina colada with mango is a great way to cool off this summer and enjoy some tropical flavor. Serve it blended into a lovely frozen concoction or go all modern and shake it in a cocktail shaker then pour over ice. Whatever way you enjoy this mango colada with its fruity balanced flavor and rich coconut, you'll find yourself making it again and again. Enjoy it poolside, at BBQs or just because. Cheers!
Bring that islandy feel home with these tropical cocktails.
Mango Basil Cocktail with white wine and lemon for a refreshing summer drink.
Blood Orange Cocktail with vodka, Cointreau, and a splash of cranberry juice.
Watermelon Vodka Cocktail with fresh pineapple has a bubbly splash.
Tropical Passion Fruit Sangria from Plating Pixels
Find lots of summer cocktail recipes here on 2CM!
Mango Colada
Ingredients
- 4 oz cream of coconut
- 4 oz pineapple juice
- 6 oz light rum
- ½ mango, cut up
- 2 cups ice (add more depending on how thick you like it)
- Dark rum, optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients but ice in blender and blend until smooth. Add mango and blend again until smooth. Add ice slowly and continue blending until mixture turns slushy.
- Pour into 2 highball glasses, garnish with a piece of pineapple and mango, then top with a floater of dark rum, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Yes, you can use a pina colada mixer but we prefer the individual ingredients without all the additives that go into the mix. And it's so easy there's no need for a mix.
- Don't care for mango? Try it with peaches, strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries.
- How about a mocktail! Just eliminate the rum and add slightly more pineapple juice.
- You can even make this with fresh pineapple. Cut a fresh pineapple into chunks and freeze on a cookie sheet then bag it. Take it out when you're ready to blend. Use 3 oz. of frozen pineapple for each 4 oz. of pineapple juice.
- Make it even more tropical by adding 1.5 oz. of Curacao to the cocktail. The result is a gorgeous turquoise blue drink that is always a hit!
- Easily change it into a smoothie bowl by leaving out the rum and adding yogurt to the mix.
Nutrition
This post has been updated with more information and new photos. It was first published on April 20, 2016.
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