How to make a pina colada liqueur at home

October 8, 2025

This gets called pineapple rum a lot, and it isn't one, because what you're actually making is a pina colada liqueur, which is a pineapple and coconut flavour on a neutral spirit with a liqueur base to give it the body and the sweetness. That's worth getting straight before you start, since it changes what you buy.

What goes into it

The Still Spirits Top Shelf Pina Colada essence is the flavour, and it goes into a clean neutral spirit along with a liqueur base. The label tells you which base it wants and how much of everything to use, so go by the bottle rather than a recipe you've found somewhere else. Then give it a shake and a day or so to settle, because a liqueur tastes a bit raw straight after mixing.

If you'd rather skip the base altogether, the Samuel Willard's Pina Colada premix is built to go straight into a spirit, and it's the quicker way to get there.

One thing worth knowing before you start, because it trips people up. Mixing an essence into a neutral spirit you've bought isn't distilling and doesn't need a licence. Distilling that base spirit yourself does, though, and it's an excise manufacturer licence from the ATO even if you never sell a drop.

How I'd drink it

The obvious one is a pina colada, so I'd blend about 45ml of the liqueur with 90ml of pineapple juice, 30ml of coconut cream and a cup of ice until it's smooth. If it's too sweet for you, add more ice and a squeeze of lime rather than more juice.

It's also good over vanilla ice cream, and it's nice topped up with soda water on a hot afternoon when you want something lighter.

If you want it to lean more towards rum

A coconut rum essence on a neutral spirit gets you closer to a rum and coconut, and then you add the pineapple as juice in the glass. It's a drier, less creamy drink, and plenty of people prefer it that way.

Shop related products

Samuel Willard's Pina Colada Premix. The no base version of this drink.
Still Spirits Coconut Rum 50ML. For a rum and coconut instead of a creamy liqueur.
Edwards Essences Coconut Rum Essence. Another coconut rum flavour to try.
Still Spirits Universal Z Carbon. For cleaning up a spirit before it's flavoured.

Did you know we also keep the Still Spirits Top Shelf Pina Colada essence and the Pineapple Passionfruit Vodka essence in the shop, along with 1125ml spirit bottles. They're not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.