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50 Drinks in 50 States: Piña Colada in South Carolina

Get inspired to drink your way across America (without ever leaving your backyard) with Margaritaville’s 50 Drinks in 50 States series.

Happy Spring! It doesn’t matter if you’re in college, have a family or are retired, most everyone is craving some “Spring” in their step this time of year. March-April is Spring Break season for schools and universities around the country, so let’s celebrate with everyone by heading to Spring Break hot-spot, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The only way to complete this holiday is with a Piña Colada in your hand. Piña Colada, which means “strained pineapple” in Spanish, originated in Puerto Rico in 1954.

Just thinking about it will probably make your mouth water for that perfect frothy combination of rum, coconut and pineapple. Most bars are serving pre-made Piña Colada mixes and adding the rum. But, have no fear, you can make the perfect homemade rendition on your own.

The manmade island of Myrtle Beach has been a Spring Break destination for decades. Possibly because guests can spread out acrossmyrtle-beach the 60 miles of coastline known as the Grand Strand.

In 2015, USA Today ranked Myrtle Beach as a “Top 10 Spring Break Destination.” It is estimated that more than 14 million people vacation in Myrtle Beach over the course of each year.

South Carolina can thank our neighbors to the north, Canada, for putting Myrtle Beach on the map as a Spring Break destination in the 1950’s. Thousands of tourists started coming from Ontario for their Spring Break and Myrtle Beach has hosted Canadian-American (Can-Am) Days ever since.

We suggest you make a batch of your own Pina Colada at home and then head to LandShark Bar & Grill or Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach to see who makes it better.

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Ingredients

  • 2 ounces cream of coconut
  • 2 ounces pineapple juice
  • 1.5 ounces light rum (preferably Margaritaville Silver Rum)
  • 2 cups ice
  • ½ ounce of dark rum (preferably Margaritaville Dark Rum)
  • Fresh pineapple or cherries

Directions
Add cream of coconut, pineapple juice, light rum and ice into the blender. Pulse until smooth and combined, then pour into a glass. Top with ½ ounce of dark rum and garnish with a slice of pineapple or cherries.

A Twist
If you can’t get enough of that coconut flavor, try using the Margaritaville Coconut Rum with this recipe.