We took a family trip down to Puerto Rico recently and found great eats. I’ll be writing about some of them over the next few weeks, but the one I present today is not one I expected to write about. Or even like.
Piña Coladas were invented in San Juan many years ago and have since become a staple of cruise ships and island resorts. It was probably the first cocktail I ever tried (my parents like the sweet drinks) so there is a special nostalgic place in my heart for it, but it’s not something I would ever order any longer. Unless of course I was in one of those cheesy settings.
Two different bars in San Juan lay claim to being the place that originated the pineapple coconut concoction. And we wavered over whether we wanted to follow the guide books to say we drank it where they wanted us to.
Barrachina is a restaurant and bar inside a picturesque courtyard in the middle of Old San Juan. We were finishing up our day of exploring and I saw the option to take the drink to go. I figured I might as well give it a try.
I stood in line with the other tourists trying to hide my very low expectations. I was expecting a sweet kitschy headache inducing drink that tasted more like a lollipop than anything else. I was pleasantly surprised.
The party cup and garnish did not help my expectations – neither did the fact that this pre-mix frozen drink came out of a machine. But when I took a sip, I amazed by the bright pineapple notes that were nicely balanced with the other ingredients. It was not overly sweet at all, but actually refreshing with a potent rum finish.
The coconut flavor is very subtle here, but it adds a creaminess that does not overpower to the point of tasting like sunscreen.
I had to check this off my list and say I had been there, but I’m honestly amazed that I liked this. And I finished the entire thing. That does say something!
| BARRACHINA |
| 104 Calle de la Fortaleza (between Calle del Cristo and Calle San José), Old San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico (787) 725-7912 |
| barrachina.com |
