My favorite margarita enthusiast, George, took one sip of this cocktail and said decisively, “Needs Grand Marnier!” I replied, “Who doesn’t?” You can use another orange-flavored liquor like Cointreau or Triple Sec, but Grand Marnier, along with the quality of your tequila, is what puts this in a different league.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened pineapple juice
- ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 cups (320 g) chopped frozen peaches
- ¼ cup (60 ml) tequila, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar, plus more to taste
- 1 cup (125 g) ice, plus more as needed
- Lime wedges, to garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon medium-coarse natural salt (optional)
- Finely grated lime zest, to garnish (optional)
How to Make It
- Throw the pineapple juice, lime juice, peaches, tequila, Grand Marnier, agave nectar, and ice cubes into your blender and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until well combined. You may need to stop the machine to help guide the ingredients through the blades. Tweak flavors to taste (you may like more agave nectar or alcohol) and add more ice cubes if you want a slushier consistency.
- To serve, run the lime wedge around the rims of two margarita glasses. Pour the salt and zest into a shallow saucer and carefully dip the glass rims into the mixture. Divide the blend between the glasses. Simple or strong pina colada
- My friend Kim summed up this piña colada: “Seems like a really healthy way to drink alcohol!” That said, this rich, creamy blend can be enjoyed with or without rum (see the variation below for a version sans alcohol). Adjust the amount of sweetener according to the ripeness of your pineapple. If your pineapple is very ripe, or you’re making this without rum, you may want to hold off on the sweetener until you give the blend a taste. But, I find that a small amount of sweetener rounds out the flavors.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup (180 ml) canned coconut milk (shake, then pour)
- ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1 cup (160 g) diced ripe pineapple
- 1 cup (160 g) frozen diced pineapple
- ½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons white rum, plus more to taste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, plus more to taste (optional)
- 1 cup (125 g) ice cubes
- Pineapple wedges, to garnish
- Throw all of the ingredients into your blender and puree for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth.
- Tweak the rum and maple syrup to taste. Serve with a wedge of pineapple.