The "I'll Take Theory #4" Story

The Baccachina Restaurant, 104 Fortaleza Street, Old San Juan, PR.

It was an ordinary day.  Walking the streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico searching for the Barrachina Restaurant at 104 Fortaleza Street in order to have a Pina Colada.  And why the Barrachina?  Well, that's where the drink was supposed to have originated in 1963.  

Plaque in front of the restaurant.

But, there are four theories as to where, when and by whom the drink was first made and Theory #2 says that Spaniard Ramon Portas Mingot, an author of cocktail books, who worked in some of the finest bars in Buenos Aires, met chef Pepe Barrachina, who had a restaurant in Old San Juan, and soon began working at Pepe's restaurant in Puerto Rico.  

My Pina Colada.

Up until that time the restaurant was famous for its Paella, but now, as the marble sign along the street decries, it is the birthplace of the Pina Colada as we know it today.  So, today Carol and I, along with our two traveling companions, Jerry and Just Sue, are sitting in the restaurant with the world famous Pina Colada in front of us.  Has the traditional maraschino cherry and naturally a cocktail umbrella standing tall in the top of the glass.  Doesn't matter what we had for lunch to eat, only matters that we are now part of history.  The drink's recipe at the Barrachina is rather simple with naturally rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream, condensed milk and ice in a blender creating the most popular drink in all of Puerto Rico.  So, what are the other three theories you may ask.  Well here you go ……

• #1 - On August 15, 1954 a man named Ramon "Monchito" Marrero made and served the first Pina Colada at the Caribe Hilton's Beachcomber Bar in San Juan.  The Hilton was the most famous hotel of the day and Monchito worked for months to come up with a new and different drink.  He soon was given credit for the first Pina Colada.
• #3 - Ricardo Garcia, a Spaniard who had come to Puerto Rico to work at the Hilton, was serving a drink known as the Coco Loco to his guests.  The drink consisted of coconut juice, rum and cream of coconut served in a coconut.  One day in 1954 he was without coconuts because of a union strike at the hotel so he cut off the top of a pineapple and served the drink in it instead of the coconut.  The pineapple gave the drink a different taste than the Coco Loco, so thus the Pina Colada, or strained pineapple, was born.
• #4 - This is the oldest of the four theories and dates back to the 1800's.  So you would think this has to be the birth of the drink.  A Puerto Rican pirate known as Roberto Cofresi or better known as El Pirata Cofresi, allegedly served a form of the cocktail that had white rum, coconut juice and pineapple juice.  It is said that when the pirate died in 1825 he took the recipe to his grave with him, thus it wasn't known again until one of the other theories came about.  I must say I give this theory my vote, since he made the original drink.

It was neat to walk around the place and snap a few photos even thought the Pina Colada might not have been first made at this place.  At least I drank my Pina Colada in Puerto Rico where it was supposed to have originated at some time in history.  Did I enjoy it?  I must admit I have tasted better!  A lot better!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The bar on the right was where the first Pina Colada was made.

Interior of the Restaurant.

My check showing my historic purchases.