Chi Chi
The Piña Colada's vodka-loving cousin. Same tropical coconut-pineapple bliss, different spirit. For when you want beach vacation vibes without the rum.
- 2 ozvodka
- 3 ozpineapple juice
- 1½ ozcream of coconut(such as Coco Lopez)
- 1 cupice(for blending)
- pineapple wedge and cherrygarnish
- 1Add vodka and pineapple juice and cream of coconut and ice to a blender
- 2Blend until smooth and frothy
- 3Pour into a hurricane glass or large goblet
- 4Garnish with a pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry
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The Chi Chi is a vodka-based variation of the Pina Colada, the rum cocktail that the International Bartenders Association credits to bartender Ramon "Monchito" Marrero of the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1954. The Pina Colada became so culturally significant that Puerto Rico declared it the national drink in 1978 and Rupert Holmes's 1979 song Escape (The Pina Colada Song) made it an international icon. The Chi Chi substitutes vodka for rum while maintaining the coconut cream and pineapple juice of the original, producing a lighter, less molasses-inflected version that appealed to the postwar generation of drinkers who favored vodka's neutral character. Tropical resort bars throughout the Caribbean, Hawaii, and beachside destinations in the American South served Chi Chis as a vodka-forward alternative during the 1970s and 1980s.
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