The “Goldene Bar” in the Bavarian capital of Munich is a well-known place among German bar enthusiasts and night owls alike. Unfortunately I wasn’t personally able to go there and assure myself of the atmosphere and the mixed drinks in Klaus St. Rainers renowned drinking place, but since I rarely travel the Bavarian capital due to the distance I simply did not have the chance yet. But nevertheless every now and then I do write about one of the awesome drinks invented by Klaus St. Rainer. And that’s what I’ll do today. Although today’s cocktail is more of a reinterpretation of a famous classic.

When having a closer look on the ingredients you’ll won’t need long to guess which flavor combination is the driving force behind it: Pineapple and coconut, a combination like no other, has found a permanent place in the repertoire of restaurants, bars and food industry alike. But what is the origin of this combination? That question cannot be answered right away since coconut and pineapple have a great vogue in tropical regions from time immemorial. It is therefore somehow obvious to combine those two. Nevertheless, there is one special name associated with this combination which has become a symbol of tropical cocktails like no other: the Piña Colada – who has never heard of that drink and who has never even tried it? Today you’ll find Piña Colada even as a certain industrial flavor in the context of milk shakes, chocolate bars, frozen pastries, sweets and countless other product categories that enjoy great popularity.

And I have to admit, the combination definitely is a great one. However, I must say that it is not necessarily my all-time favorite, because somehow I became a bit tired of it. Especially since it is a heavy cream drink with lots of calories, the Piña Colada is nothing I am after very often. And this is where Klaus St. Rainer’s Banksy cocktail comes into play. St. Rainer wanted to adopt the coconut pineapple symbiosis while creating a lighter, more modern and elegant drink to convince lovers of the Piña Colada and skeptics alike. And I think he has succeeded with that mission.

The name Banksy is a pun in a double way, on the one hand it is the name of St. Rainers favorite graffiti artist, on the other hand it hints on the use of Banks 5 Island Rum. However, another barrel aged and then charcoal filtered white rum will also work fine here. For example I have used the Tiki Lovers White Rum and I was very pleased with the drink in the end. By the way you won’t have to go for a whole coconut in order to mix that drink. You can find 100% coconut water in many supermarkets where it is sold as a wellness drink.

Recipe:

6 cl barrel aged white rum
4 cl pineapple juice
4 cl coconut water
1 bar spoon sugar syrup (you can adjust it if you need a little bit more)

Preparation: Mix all ingredients and vigorously shake on ice. Then strain into your pre-chilled glass.

Glass: Coupette

Garnish: none (alternatively you can use one or two pineapple leaves)

Buying sources: In stores or online.