The Piña Colada is globally consumed in bars, especially at resorts near the coast, where its history began, because the cocktail was born at one of Puerto Rico’s first luxury hotels: the Caribe Hilton.
A Businessman, A Vision, and A Hotel
A long time ago, Luis Muños Marin, Puerto Rico’s first elected Governor, and Teodoro Moscoso, Director of the island’s Development Division, PRIDCO used funds from the tax cover-over and other federal grants to build an iconic hotel, as part of the Bootstrap project.
Thus, the government issued a Request for Proposal to determine interest in managing the hotel, with Mr. Conrad Hilton being the front-runner.
Supposedly, when Mr. Hilton presented the opportunity to his board, they all said no. So Mr. Hilton created the Hilton International, with the Puerto Rico Caribe Hilton being the 1st hotel they managed.
Caribe Hilton Bar
What Monchito Created
Hilton was great friends with Mr. Victor Bergeron, owner of the Trader Vic’s chain. This friendship and alliance allowed the Caribe Hilton to have the famous Polynesian-Tiki-themed restaurant on the property.
The lobby bar at the hotel was called the Beachcomber, where the bartender Ramon “Monchito” Ramos created a concoction that would make history: the piña colada.
“If you have one of the leading hotel chains having success with something, other hotel chains are going to follow suit. So, thanks to Mr. Conrad, who wanted to greet all guests with a piña colada at the hotel and started asking other Hiltons to add it to their menu. This made the drink became a global cocktail.”, says Federico J. Hernández, founder of TheRumLab.
Monchito Pouring at Caribe Hilton
Rum Education Time: Piña Colada and Its Legacy with Federico J. Hernández
Starting today and for the rest of the week, Federico J. Hernández, who lives in Madrid, Spain, and his partners will be working at El Antillano in the La Latina neighborhood, promoting and educating consumers about the Piña Colada, as July 10th is known as National Piña Colada Day. Their goal is to teach consumers about the origin of the cocktail and its ties with the Caribbean island.
Federico, a natural brand ambassador of Puerto Rico due to his efforts to make big steps in the Puerto Rico Rum Industry, believes that this cocktail helps give recognition to the island of Puerto Rico.
About Federico J. Hernández
Federico José Hernández, the founder of TheRumLab, is also the creator and producer of Taste Of Rum, the first rum festival of Puerto Rico, as well as other rum festivals in key American cities and Spain.
To express his passion in words, he is the author of the Puerto Rico Rum-Clopedia, now in its second edition. A book that sold a thousand copies in its first edition.
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