Arroz con piña literary means rice with pineapple in Spanish and that is exactly what this drink contains. Using rice in a drink might sound a bit bizarre, but it is actually delicious. The drink is very easy to make and can be prepared in advance so you don’t have to mix anything while enjoying a nice night with friends.

The drink can be served both with and without Alcohol. In Nicaragua is is common to spike the Arroz con piña with a generous dash of Flor de Caña, Nicargua’s very own brand of rum made from locally grown sugarcane. This is primarely done when enjoying the drink in the evenings.

Ingredients

1 large pineapple
1 ½  cup of rice
1 cup of evaporated milk
Sugar to taste

How to make Arroz con piña

1.) Cut the top (i.e. the green stuff and its base) off the pineapple. This part won’t be used in the recipe, so go ahead and plant it.
2.) Cut off the bottom and remove the peel, and save in a pot.
3.) Cut the remaining part of the pineapple into cubes, except for the centre core which should be added to the pot. You will now have a stash of really nice pineapple cubes + a pot filled with pineapple scraps.
4.) Cover the scraps with water, add rice and milk, and boil until the rice is soft.
5.) Taste the brew to see if you want to stir in some sugar.
6.) Remove the peel scraps from the brew and blend the liquid in a blender. If you don’t have a blender, use a strainer to get rid of the peel parts and push as much of the other solids as possible through the mesh.
7.)  Pour your Arroz con piña into a pitcher over some ice and enjoy.

Tips!

If you like cinnamon, let a piece of cinnamon stick boil with the other ingredients. Cloves (“clavos de olor”) and vanilla are two other nice additions that will make the drink smell even more appetizing.