Five Places to Try on International Pina Colada Day in Brisbane
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It's the national drink of Puerto Rico, and features in a certain song we know you now have stuck in your head. That'd be the piña colada, one of world's most popular rum cocktails courtesy of its refreshing combination of rum, pineapple and coconut.
During Bacardi Rum Month, the legendary beverage gets its time to shine, thanks to the family-run brand that has been instrumental in developing the modern rum production process and rum cocktail culture for over 150 years. On International Piña Colada Day, June 10, Brisbane's best bartenders will be serving up their tasty interpretations — and these are the places you'll find them.
BLACK BIRD BAR & GRILL
Nestled among the riverside restaurants on Eagle Street, Black Bird Bar & Grill is the kind of place that recognises tradition but likes to give it a twist. Their two bars — one Gatsby themed, the other reminiscent of a prohibition-era speakeasy — speak to this, and so does their take on the piña colada. Typically, the cocktail is shaken not blended; however, crushing everything into a smooth concoction is the perfect way to conjure up a relaxed feeling. That's what Black Bird is aiming for with their Tiki-inspired tipple, which also includes salted marshmallow syrup to give it the extra yum factor.
FOURTH WALL
When is a cocktail bar more than just a cocktail bar? When it promises a soothing yet fun space, and delivers on that promise. This Fortitude Valley establishment likes to think of themselves as a house party combined with a haven from the real world outside, complete with the drinks list of both. With fashioning timeless cocktails into something new their signature move, it should come as no surprise that their piña colada is a little bit different. Here, ginger wine, Peychaud's Bitters and pineapple soda make the mix in what they're calling the Nuevo Colada.
FRIDAY'S RIVERSIDE
If you're over the age of 18, you live in Brisbane and you've been anywhere near the CBD, you've likely been to Friday's Riverside at least once. The place is one of the city's mainstays for a reason, and not just because of the iconic, Harry Seidler-designed building it occupies. Eating and drinking is the drawcard by day, and just the latter by night. Of course, any time is fine for their original piña colada, with the classic combination of Bacardi, coconut water, pineapple juice and caster sugar shaken and served long.
JAHH TIGER
Milton's Euro-centric Park Road might not seem a likely home for Australia’s first authentic Jamaican jerk chicken and rum shack; however, that's where you'll find Jahh Tiger. The rustic, reggae-loving hut might not seem a likely place for a Hilton Caribe piña colada, either, but the folks there are passionate about all things rum and love sharing that passion. Their tribute to the birthplace of the drink is deceptively boozy, complete with a 15ml overproof Navy rum float. We don't know if it took three months to come up with like the original did almost a century ago, but we do know it will be divine.
SONNY'S HOUSE OF BLUES
In less than a year of operation, everyone's favourite inner-city LA-themed dive bar has become known for three things: beers, burgers and rock 'n' roll. Those who frequent the Rowes Arcade spot will know that slushies are also a prominent feature, of the alcohol-filled and so-good-they're-amazing variety. With filtering beloved beverages through their drinks dispenser a common occurrence, trust Sonny's House of Blues to give the piña colada the slushie treatment. Bacardi, pineapple, orange, Coco Real and water never tasted so good — or so semi-frozen.
Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
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