colada

Colada is a Spanish noun and past participle form meaning filtered or strained. It derives from the verb colar, to pour through a filter. In everyday cooking and drink preparation, colada describes liquids that have been strained, such as café colado (filtered coffee) or té colado (strained tea). The term also appears in product names and regional expressions where the sense of filtration or drainage is implied. In popular culture, piña colada is the best-known instance, where colada signals the strained element implied by the original pineapple preparation.

Piña Colada is a cocktail made from rum, pineapple juice, and coconut cream or coconut milk. It is typically blended with ice or shaken and served over ice, often garnished with a pineapple wedge and a cherry. The drink originated in Puerto Rico in the mid-20th century; the most common attribution credits a bartender at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan around 1954 who reportedly perfected the recipe as a cooling, tropical beverage. The origin is disputed. The name literally translates to strained pineapple, reflecting its pineapple component and the concept of straining or filtering associated with its preparation. Variants include alcoholic versions with different rums or non-alcoholic versions that substitute additional fruit juices or syrups.