The Chi Chi recipe
for your table
Fill the glass to the top with ice cubes or crushed ice so it gets cold while you prepare the rest.
Measure out the vodka, pineapple juice, and coconut cream and add everything to the shaker. Stir the coconut cream until smooth in the can first, as it separates in the refrigerator.
Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for ten to fifteen seconds, until the mixture looks creamy. Prefer it thicker? Blend everything with a handful of ice until you have a smooth, frothy mixture.
Pour the melted ice water out of the glass, pour the cocktail over the ice, and garnish with a wedge of fresh pineapple and a cherry. Add a straw.
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The story
Piña colada is the better-known of the two, and chi chi is the simpler variation: the same pineapple and the same coconut, only with vodka instead of rum. That sounds like a detail, but it is the whole reason the drink exists. Rum brings its own sweet, slightly funky flavor, which settles over the fruit. Vodka does not, leaving the pineapple and coconut room to shine. As a result, you can taste more clearly where your pineapple juice comes from: a carton with added sugar or freshly pressed. If you want the tropical side without the flavor of rum, chi chi is the one to choose.
The right glass
A chi chi is a substantial drink: seventeen centiliters of ingredients, plus ice, so you want a glass with a capacity of at least forty centiliters. This 53 cl pineapple model is generously sized in that respect, and the product description explicitly mentions the piña colada; the textured surface also provides a good grip once the glass becomes frosted. If you want the same contents in the classic curved goblet, take a look at our hurricane glasses.
Onis Tiki Long Drink Glass 53 cl Pineapple (6 pieces)
Royal Leerdam Hurricane Cocktail Glass on Stem 44 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 75,90.
The right tools
For a chi chi, in addition to the glass, you need a jigger for precise measuring, a shaker large enough for seventeen centiliters plus ice, and a few glass straws, because a drink this thick is meant to be enjoyed with a straw. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 72,80.
Variations & twists
A splash of Malibu on top intensifies the coconut, but also makes the whole drink considerably sweeter; remove some coconut cream then. Blending strawberries or mango into it gives you a fruitier version, and a splash of Passoã takes it in the direction of passion fruit. If you leave out the vodka, you are left with a pineapple-coconut drink that everyone at the table can enjoy. Add rum, and you are back to the piña colada. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Taste before pouring, because pineapple juice from a carton is often quite sweet, while freshly pressed juice is sharper. If it is too sweet, add half a centiliter of lime juice; if it is too sour, an extra half centiliter of coconut cream does the same job. Cut the pineapple wedge with the skin on so it stays on the rim instead of slipping into the glass.
Good to know
What vodka does differently here than rum
Rum is distilled from sugarcane and retains some of its flavor: a sweet, slightly tangy note that lies over the fruit in a piña colada. That is pleasant, but it is also a third flavor alongside the pineapple and coconut. Vodka is made to be as neutral as possible and mainly adds alcohol. As a result, in a chi chi you taste only the pineapple and coconut, more clearly defined and with less of a sweet undertone. Many people find it fresher as a result; those who enjoy that rum note will stick with the piña colada.
Coconut cream or coconut milk
These are two different things and are not simply interchangeable. Coconut cream is thick and sweetened, and is made to be used in cocktails; it gives the drink its full, creamy texture. Canned coconut milk is unsweetened and thinner, so with the same 3 cl you get a lighter and less sweet drink. That works perfectly well, but then allow for half a centiliter of sugar syrup to make up the difference. Both separate in the refrigerator, so stir or shake the can before measuring.
Shaken or blended
Shaking produces a liquid cocktail with a light foam cap that you pour over ice cubes. Blending produces a thick, semi-frozen version that you eat with a straw instead of drinking. The difference is not in the ingredients but in how much ice goes in and how finely it is blended. If you blend it, use crushed ice or small ice cubes and not too much, otherwise the flavor will become diluted. A middle ground is to shake it and then pour it over crushed ice.
The ratio varies with your pineapple juice
Five, nine and three are a good starting point, but pineapple juice varies enormously. Juice from a carton is often sweetened, in which case 3 cl of coconut cream is quickly too much; freshly squeezed juice is more acidic and calls for the full 3 cl or even a little more. So always taste before serving and adjust with lime juice or a little extra coconut cream. Preferably keep the vodka at 5 cl, because it determines the strength, not the flavour.
Where the name comes from
There are various stories about the origin of the name, and none of them can be substantiated, so we will leave them here for what they are. What is certain is the composition: as soon as you replace the rum in a piña colada with vodka, the drink is called a chi chi. If you order one in a bar where the name is unknown, simply ask for a piña colada with vodka; it is exactly the same.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a chi chi and a piña colada?
Only the spirit changes. A piña colada is made with rum, while a chi chi is made with vodka. The pineapple juice, coconut, ice and garnish remain the same. Because vodka brings almost no flavour of its own, the pineapple and coconut stand out more clearly in a chi chi.
Can I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
You can, but the result is thinner and less sweet, because coconut cream is thick and sweetened, while coconut milk is not. If you use coconut milk, add about half a centilitre of sugar syrup and shake the can well, because the fat and liquid separate in the refrigerator.
Do you shake or blend a chi chi?
Both are common. Shaken and poured over ice cubes, it remains liquid with a light layer of foam; blended with ice, it becomes thick and semi-frozen. If you blend it, use crushed ice and not too much, otherwise the flavour will be diluted too much.
Which glass do you serve a chi chi in?
In a highball glass or a hurricane glass of at least forty centilitres, because it contains seventeen centilitres of liquid plus plenty of ice. Suitable models can be found among our piña colada glasses.
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