Piña Colada Jello Shot

Escape to the tropics with these creamy coconut and pineapple shots—all the vacation vibes of the classic frozen cocktail in a portable party format.

The Piña Colada Jello Shot translates Puerto Rico's official national drink into gelatin form, capturing the coconut-pineapple-rum combination that Ramón Marrero Pérez created at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan on August 15, 1954 in a shooter format suited to tropical-themed parties and beach gatherings. Marrero developed the formula over approximately three months at the Caribe Hilton's Beachcomber Bar, combining white rum with Coco López sweetened coconut cream and fresh pineapple juice to create a blended drink that the hotel subsequently promoted as its signature preparation. The gelatin adaptation requires careful attention to the pineapple component: fresh pineapple juice contains bromelain, a protease enzyme that breaks down the collagen proteins in gelatin and prevents setting entirely, making canned or heat-treated pineapple juice essential for the jello shot to achieve the correct firm consistency. Canned pineapple products are heat-treated during the canning process, which denatures bromelain and renders the juice safe for gelatin applications. The coconut cream — whether Coco López, Goya, or another sweetened coconut cream product — sets naturally in gelatin and provides both the tropical flavor and the shot's characteristic creamy-white color. Puerto Rico declared the Piña Colada its national drink in 1978, formalizing the cocktail's identity as the island's defining preparation.