Drinks
Pina Colada
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A cocktail of rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice, associated with Puerto Rico, which proclaimed it the island's official drink in 1978. Its invention is claimed by at least three different bartenders at competing San Juan establishments, with dates ranging from 1953 to 1963, and no single account is universally accepted.
Facts
Disputed
Origin Period, From (Year)Sourced to the subject's own accountThree competing bartender claims exist for the drink's invention: Ramon 'Monchito' Marrero at the Caribe Hilton in 1954, Ricardo Garcia, also at the Caribe Hilton, in 1953, and Ramon Portas Mingot at the Barrachina restaurant in 1963; none is universally accepted as definitive. Origin RegionSourced to the subject's own account Sources
Open Questions (1 open question)
Which bartender and establishment actually invented the pina colada?
Three competing accounts claim credit: the Caribe Hilton Hotel says Ramon 'Monchito' Marrero created it in 1954; a Spaniard named Ricardo Garcia also claims to have invented it in 1953 while working at the same hotel; and the Barrachina restaurant credits bartender Ramon Portas Mingot with creating it in 1963. No single account is universally accepted.
What would resolve this A contemporary receipt, menu, newspaper mention or other primary record from 1953 to 1963 naming the drink at one specific San Juan establishment, rather than the competing later-recounted claims, would settle which bartender's account is accurate.
Culinary history / hospitality-industry archival researchPina Colada (Wikipedia)
Dissenting Readings (2 dissenting readings)
Origin Period, From (Year)
Ricardo Garcia, a Spaniard also working at the Caribe Hilton, claims to have invented the pina colada in 1953, a year before Ramon 'Monchito' Marrero's 1954 claim that the hotel itself endorses.
A dissenting reading, from Ricardo GarciaPina Colada (Wikipedia), Wikipedia
Origin Period, From (Year)
The Barrachina restaurant in Old San Juan credits its own bartender, Ramon Portas Mingot, with creating the pina colada in 1963, nine years after the Caribe Hilton's endorsed 1954 date.
A dissenting reading, from Ramon Portas MingotPina Colada (Wikipedia), Wikipedia
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