Cracking the code of Pina Colada in a can

A bar quality cocktail for $11? You must be dreaming.

But Curatif, makers of award-winning pre-mix cocktails in a can, today release their new Piña Colada cocktails for $45 for a four-pack. Perfect for a night in beside the fire. Or after you've been caught in the rain.

Think fruity pineapple, roasted coconut, and coconut cream tones. 

Oh, and rum from two of the top estates in the world: Appleton Estate Signature Rum and Ron Colón Salvadoreño. 

"Our latest cocktail has been a labour of love that we've loved labouring over," says Curatif founder and managing director Matt Sanger. 

"Coconut is having a real moment and it’s great to see a resurgence of this most loved and nostalgic cocktail. 

"A Piña Colada can be a hard one to crack in a ready-to-drink format because of the complexity of the ingredients. 

"But while staying true to the authenticity of the recipe but we have mastered a Piña Colada that is truly bar quality. 

"What sets Curatif apart is our use of real ingredients - the freshest of pineapples, the creamiest of coconuts and the delicious blend of quality rums.

“The Piña Colada has been our most requested cocktail - we've released a few different iterations in The Club (Curatif’s subscription program) over the last couple of years and it's developed a cult following. There's not many cocktails that are so evocative, so fun, and so irreverent and giddy as a Piña Colada." 

The good news: the GoTR tasting team felt it really did taste like a quality cocktail. It’s vibrant, joyous and seriously refreshing. Thumbs up. 

Curatif’s Piña Colada joins the canned cocktail line-up of Tommy’s Margarita, Archie Rose Espresso Martini, Bar Bambi Amaretto Sour and Savile Row Cosmopolitan. 

Available from curatif.com or bottle shops with a RRP of $45 for a four-pack. 

How to make your Halloween festivities a little more fruity

I don't really get this Halloween thing.

What was once a uniquely American pastime - like school massacres and drive-by shootings - is now hugely popular around the world, and particularly in Australia.

As well as meaning you are likely to be bothered by kids knocking at your door: "trick or treat or clip around the ear", there are also special drinks for the occasion.

And in a whacky twist, Queensland farmers are encouraging Australians to carve pineapples instead of pumpkins.

Pure Gold Pineapples said Australians wanting to support their local industry should pick a pineapple instead of a pumpkin to carve as their Australian Halloween tradition.

They encourage that first you carve your pineapple with the kids, then save the waste to make an adult-friendly evening cocktail.

So, here is the Bacardi Pineapple Potion:

Ingredients:

60ml Bacardi Spiced Rum
20ml pineapple Juice
+Pineapple wedge

Method: Fill a high ball glass with ice, add Bacardi Spiced and top with chilled pineapple juice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

That might put a smile on your dial while the neighbourhood kids are being a pest.  

 

For more Halloween-inspired cocktail recipes head to the BACARDÍ website

Buy a pineapple: save $100 on a holiday

There are plenty of weird and wonderful travel promotions, but a new one from Sunshine Coast Tourism is particularly fruity. 

For less than the price of a cup of coffee, potential holidaymakers can earn $100 towards their next Sunshine Coast holiday - by buying a pineapple.

Visit Sunshine Coast has partnered with one of Australia's largest pineapple producers - Sunshine Coast-based Pure Gold Pineapples - to roll out a "juicy" winter promotion from June 1-24.

Anyone who buys a Pure Gold Pineapple - which are available from Woolworths and Coles - and enters a competition during that time period can claim $100 dollars to put towards their next Sunshine Coast escape booked through My Queensland.

From there entrants will also go in the running to win a $10,000 My Queensland Sunshine Coast holiday.

Of course, that means they have all your contact details.

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said the campaign was a nice way to make chilly winter months a little bit sweeter, while celebrating a Sunshine Coast icon.

“Since the Big Pineapple first opened in 1971 pineapples have been a symbol of the Sunshine Coast,” he said.

“For many eating a pineapple conjures up images of warm beach days and tropical escapes, and that's what we're all about here – even in winter.

“The winter months are the perfect time to plan a Sunshine Coast holiday, from swimming with whales to a calendar of epic events, it's a great time to visit the Coast."

The Sunshine Coast is Australia's largest pineapple growing region, and Pure Gold Pineapples supply 40% of the tropical fruit available for purchase in Australia.

The winner of the $10,000 My Queensland Sunshine Coast escape will be drawn on June 27 - which is International Pineapple Day (how hilarious).

To find out more go to visitsunshinecoast.com/win-10k-sunshine-coast-holiday.