The question was to create a welcome cocktail that would not cause a hangover. That is why Monchito (born Ramón Marrero) had been trying and discarding combinations for months, mixing impossible ingredients. Until he came up with the perfect formula: 40 grams of coconut cream, 80 grams of pineapple juice and 20 grams of white rum, all well shaken and with plenty of crushed ice. This is how the pina colada was born.
This episode took place in the capital of Puerto Rico almost 70 years ago. Specifically at the Caribe Hilton hotel, the largest in the city, whose opening in 1949 was a show of glamour: the star appearance of Gloria Swanson is still remembered today, descending the steps, before the astonished gaze of Frank Sinatra.
Such was the impact of this drink that new voices soon arose to dispute its authorship. Like the Bar Barranchina, in the old part, which boasts of having popularized it in its final presentation: with crushed ice and topped with a cherry. Be that as it may, this clearly evocative drink of the tropics is one of the most consumed in the world. And in the country that was his birthplace, he even has a national holiday, on July 11, which is the day of the Piña Colada.
Afternoon falls in San Juan and this cocktail circulates from hand to hand. Also rum, of course, another of the prides of this island that is its main producer in its most premium version (brands such as Bacardí, Don Q, Ron del Barrilito attest). And so, with a great tasty rhythm, what is considered one of the most effervescent nightlife in the Caribbean takes shape.
Many will find it exaggerated, but in San Juan there are more leisure establishments per square meter than in New York itself. What’s more, there is a certain reputation that places its establishments on the list of the trendiest, something like a mixture of the latest Manhattan trends with the boastful touch of Miami. After all, let’s not forget, we are in the capital of a free state associated with the great North American power
But before getting lost in that nightlife that is lived above all in the street, in the open air, encouraged by the good weather, it is convenient to get to know the metropolis in broad daylight. Quite an opportunity to discover that, despite its appearance as an American appendage (some call it Little Disneyland) its heart is indisputably Latino.
San Juan is many cities in one. That of the luxurious Condado neighborhood, with its opulent shops on Ashford Street (Puerto Rican Fifth Avenue), its restaurants by the sea and its elegant hotels next to a lagoon where some have seen manatees. Also that of Santurce, the artistic district colored by graffiti and full of museums and galleries: the place to go to find the most creative festivals.
But, above all, San Juan is Old San Juan, the historic center, declared a World Heritage Site for being one of the most impressive monuments on the American continent. This unrepeatable jewel between the Old and the New World is known as the impregnable city for being practically surrounded by fortifications.
The fortress, the San Cristóbal fort and the San Felipe del Morro castle, a colossus that presides over the bay with beautiful sunsets over the sea, are defensive masterpieces that the Spanish planted in the area and that contributed to the defeat of pirates so fearsome as Francis Drake, George Clifford or Ralph Abercromby.
Old San Juan, which was designed not to hinder the flow of the trade winds that cool its streets, must be walked slowly. This is the only way to admire its brightly colored colonial facades, with their wrought iron balconies full of flowers. Underfoot, those bluish cobblestones that are unique in their kind: they are made of iron that was once used to offset the weight of ships.
Coquettish squares with mansions, cafes with terraces and small boutiques follow one another in this framework touched by neoclassical architecture, in which jewels such as the cathedral, whose construction was ordered by Ponce de León, are assaulted; the chapel of Christ, on which the legend of a miracle that occurred in this place weighs; or the Parque de las Palomas, in the upper part of the walls, where these birds not only live so richly with views of the ocean but also enjoy a 13-grain diet prepared by a nutritionist.
Also on the promenade is the Asa Angosta, barely a couple of meters wide, Calle de las Sombrillas, which leads to the Casa del Gobernador, and Plaza de las Monjas, where the El Convento hotel, from 1651, stands. , which retains all the charm of colonial splendor. And to add flavor to the route there is the Flavor Food Tour that allows you to enjoy authentic delicacies of the local gastronomy.
Now yes, we arrive at night. And then what it comes down to, as they say here with that characteristic Spanglish, is hangear (from hang out or hang out). And check how this city, in this alternating business, there is no one who takes the lead. In San Juan the evening can start with a cultural event in the new part. For example, a classical concert at the Centro de Bellas Artes or a good play at the Tapia theatre, one of the oldest on the continent.
But the rumbeo, as such, takes place in Santurce, in three essential places: the iconic Watusi, known as the chinchorreo corner, where young people congregate to the rhythm of live music; La Terraza de Bonanza, to dance to the sound of plena and bomba, two styles of music from Puerto Rico; and the Nié, to loosen the hips to the beat of reggaeton. If not, there will always be La Placita, which is a peaceful market by day and a party scene by night.
The hustle and bustle of this incombustible city can also be breathed in Old San Juan, where at any time you can see that it is not just about stagnant beauty, but a living, inexhaustible museum. Especially on San Sebastián street, with joints for all tastes: El Cafetín, Latita… and La Factoría, to which the cocktail revolution in Puerto Rico is attributed. Of course, the pina colada is not missing.
