Watch CBS News

Ask A Los Angeles Bartender: Your Best Tropical Drink Recipe

pina colada 610 tropical drink
(credit: Shutterstock)

Flavorful tropical drinks can transform a moment of enjoying a nice cold beverage into a gateway to an imaginary sunny day on the beach in Hawaii . Pineapples, limes and other fruit flavors offer unique, delightful, subtle flavors that define the essence of fruity thirst quenchers, with a variety of drink recipes that intrigue the palate. Ed Deas is a popular Hollywood bartender with a finesse and expertise for creating tasty tropical drinks custom to order. Deas is based at the famous W Hotel Hollywood, one of Hollywood's top hotels and meeting destinations known for its ultramodern artistic setting and creative ambience where tourists and Hollywood movers and shakers are known to frequent. While entering the colorful lobby of the W Hollywood decorated with art pieces and enticing color schemes, Deas is among several professional bartenders greeting customers mixing and preparing a number of unique tropical beverages custom-made to order. Deas took time out of his day to share a few valuable tips on how to create the best tropical drink recipe that can be mixed and created in a matter of minutes to enjoy at home.

backyard - w hotel  westwood
(credit: Nicole K./yelp)

Ed Deas
The W Hollywood
6250 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 798-1300
www.whollywoodhotel.com

Ed Deas is a lead bartender at the W Hollywood, a popular hotel destination known for its elegance and modern Hollywood flare appeal. Nestled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame near Hollywood and Vine, customers frequent the W's popular bar renowned for its variety of designer beverages available to customers who return frequently for the "W Experience." According to Deas, these tips can come in handy when creating a tropical drink from start to finish.

pina colada tropical drink
(credit: Shutterstock)

Pina Colada

-4 ounces of Coconut Cream
-4 ounces of pineapple juice
-2 cup of crushed ice
-2 pineapple slices for garnish

Directions
Place ingredients in blender and blend until you reach a smooth consistency. Fill glass and place pineapple slices on the side of the glass.

Use crushed ice when blending a beverage.
When making a blender drink like Strawberry Virgin Margaritas or Pina Coladas, use crushed ice in the blender. Crushed ice will break down quickly and create a light airy texture as it is incorporated with the other ingredients. When blending, it is good to pulsate until the ice and ingredients are blended into a smooth and even mix. When measuring crushed ice, use a little more ice than the ingredients in the blender for best results.

When choosing fruit flavors, keep it simple.
Choosing one or two types of fruit flavors to add to a mixed beverage will compliment the basic ingredients of your beverage of choice, while also bringing out the natural fruit flavors of the mix in a pleasant way. When selecting fruit flavors, take care to mix flavors that compliment each other. For example, pineapple and lime juice work well together in a variety of fruit flavored mixes.

Related: Best Italian Restaurants In Los Angeles

Choose a blender based on ease of performance
When making a tropical drink, or any beverage in the comfort of your home or office, it is not necessary to purchase an expensive commercial blender. You can achieve a professional mix by blending your ingredients in an inexpensive basic blender. The ease of use is more important than the price of the blender. When working with blending speeds, start with a low speed mix and build up to top speed as the ingredients become smoothly incorporated.

Measure each ingredient based on the power of the flavor.
While mixing your ingredients for a tropical drink, it is important to know about the flavor of each ingredient. Once this is known, it is important to measure the quantities of each ingredient based on the flavor you want to achieve. The key is to make sure to not overpower one flavor for another. Arriving at a balanced flavor is a goal that can be achieved with practice.The more powerful the flavor of an ingredient, the less of it you need to add.

Make sure to use quality ingredients.
Using fresh, quality ingredients offer optimum flavor to the finished product of any beverage recipe. Shopping for quality ingredients will create a rewarding experience when it is time to serve it up and is well worth the while. Take time to shop for fresh ingredients that will make your beverage flavorful and enjoyable.

Related: Best New Restaurants In Los Angeles


Belinda Ware is a Hollywood Insider news journalist who finds herself in the right place at the right time covering celebrity news, pop culture, opinion pieces and general breaking news stories on the latest trends in popular news. Her hobbies include golf, chess and world travel. Read more on Examiner.com.
View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.