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Cocktail History
The Piña Verde is a modern cocktail that was created in 2010 by Erick Castro while at Polite Provisions in San Diego, California. As can be deduced from its name, the recipe is a variation of the iconic Piña Colada that also calls for pineapple, creamy coconut, and citrus juice, but this version omits the rum in favor of herbal Green Chartreuse.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Green Chartreuse: This is a liqueur made in France with over a hundred herbs and plants, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try winter herb syrup in place of the Green Chartreuse.
Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. We used fresh pineapple juice.
Cream of Coconut: This is a thick cream made with coconut milk, sugar, citric acid, and other ingredients. We used Coco Lopez Real Cream of Coconut because it has a rich flavor and silky texture.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Mint Sprig: This is an herb. We used Mojito mint.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices for the garnish. We used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple before it’s juiced. We used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer for the lime and the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.
Blender: This is used to blend up ingredients. We used the Cuisinart SPB-7CH SmartPowder Electronic Bar Blender.
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Tasting Notes
The Piña Verde has aromas of herbs, namely mint, and an ice-cold sip that has the familiarity of coconut and pineapple with an undercurrent of strong herbal flavor, which become even more prominent on the aftertaste and bring plenty of complexity to an otherwise sweet finish.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We both truly enjoyed this version of the Piña Colada, much more than its more famous inspiration. If you’re not too worried about your pour cost, we’d highly recommend having a Piña Verde on a hot day while there’s still some warm weekend left.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I’ll admit, I am not a big fan of the Piña Colada. While the combination of coconut and pineapple is a winner, those flavors alone (along with lime to balance and white rum for, well, alcohol content) is a bit underwhelming if you’ve had as many tiki drinks as we have. This easy remix simply swaps the rum for Green Chartreuse, and it works well. This version still keeps the sweet flavor combination that everyone loves in the original, but the Piña Verde adds a ton of the complexity that the original lacks. While I may not turn back to it too much in the future at our home bar, if I’m ever at an Applebees, TGI Fridays, or any other place where Piña Coladas run free, I’m definitely going to see if they have a bottle of the green liqueur hanging around.”
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“It’s a blessing and a curse to have tried so many incredibly complex tiki cocktails because, when we come across fairly simple ones, I tend to rate them lower now. It feels like something’s missing; that’s what happens when there aren’t twelve ingredients in the drink, I suppose, but I felt that way about the Piña Verde. The Chartreuse is a delicious addition to the simple and widely loved template, but I much prefer Alex’s Greena Colada to this version, which also mixes in the herbal liqueur but along with other tiki ingredients. This is yummy as is, but I don’t think I’d make it over some of my other tiki faves.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-03.
Piña Verde
The Piña Verde is a modern cocktail that was created in 2010 by Erick Castro while at Polite Provisions in San Diego, California. As can be deduced from its name, the recipe is a variation of the iconic Piña Colada that also calls for pineapple, creamy coconut, and citrus juice, but this version omits the rum in favor of herbal Green Chartreuse.
Ingredients
Method
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Add Green Chartreuse, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, lime juice, and cubed ice to a blender.
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Blend until desired texture.
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Pour into a lowball or tiki glass.
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Garnish with mint sprig.
