Featured in The Spirits Business
The Rum Lab celebrates 70 years of the Piña Colada
Event organiser The Rum Lab is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Piña Colada at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico – which claims to be the cocktail’s birthplace.
The celebration will run over four days from 10-14 July and will feature a variety of activities and experiences.
On 10 July, complimentary Piña Coladas will be served on arrival at the hotel, with a welcome from a Calypso band and live DJs. There will also be the opening presentation of art show ‘El Sabor De Nuestra Piña’, which showcases work from local artists Carlos Dávila Rinaldi, Eduardo Cabrer and Orlando Meléndez, and was curated by Sylvia Villafañe of Galeria Petrus.
Between 11-12 July, there will be a seminar from Rums of Puerto Rico’s ambassador, while on 13 July – which is World Rum Day – Rums of Puerto Rico will host a bartending competition and a Piña Colada tasting experience.
The competition will see eight bartenders tasked with creating a new cocktail that the Rum Lab says will ‘hopefully become as important as the Piña Colada’.
The tasting experience, meanwhile, will feature six to eight bars serving variations of Piña Colada, with different rums used.
In addition, there’ll be a book signing from the author of Puerto Rico Rum-Clopedia and The Rum Lab’s president Federico José Hernández, which offers an in-depth look at the history of rum in Puerto Rico.
To close the week on 14 July, jazz player Humberto Ramírez will perform a special show, alongside an open bar for special ticket holders.
Hernández said: “We are excited to present this unique event in collaboration with the Caribe Hilton.
“With the combination of embracing Conrad Hilton Vision, the Piña Colada tastings, the book signing of Puerto Rico Rum-Clopedia, live entertainment, and the bartender competition, we offer attendees an unforgettable experience and an opportunity to celebrate the rich history and culture of Piña Colada and rum in Puerto Rico.”
The Piña Colada was said to have been created by bartender Ramón ‘Monchito’ Marrero at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar on 10 July 1954.
The Caribe Hilton opened in 1949 and is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Recently, The Rum Lab also hosted the inaugural Women Leading Rum conference, which took place in Madrid.