When it comes to summer libations, there is one drink that's as popular as it is familiar: The piña colada. The frozen drink is a favorite at beach bars everywhere, including its birthplace, Puerto Rico.

San Juan

The piña colada, a cocktail synonymous with Puerto Rico, is celebrated for capturing the island's tropical flavors. The Caribe Hilton in San Juan claims the drink was invented there in 1954 by bartender Ramon Monchito Marrero, although another local establishment, La Barrachina, also asserts its own claim to the cocktail's creation in 1963. The original recipe featured pineapple, coconut, and heavy cream, served over crushed ice, with rum added in later versions.

Beyond its origins, the article highlights challenges facing Puerto Rican agriculture, such as a shift away from local farming and the impact of Hurricane Maria, which have affected the availability of ingredients like pineapples and sugarcane. Despite these setbacks, there is renewed interest among younger Puerto Ricans in revitalizing local production, particularly for pineapples and rum, which are essential to the piña colada and the island's economy.

The origins of the piña colada

It's no wonder they call this the island of enchantment. Crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches perfectly complement the tropical flavors of Puerto Rico. And if you had to put that feeling in a glass, it would be this, the piña colada. And there is nothing better than a piña colada because it says everything about the island, all of the flavors, it just comes all together perfect. Jose Roque is a bartender and mixologist at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan. So why do you think it's so popular? Because people come here on vacation and they're expecting, you know, something very, very Puerto Rican. So as soon as you go out to the beach or to the pool, you just want to have like a very refreshing cocktail. So how did this sweet, creamy drink come to be? Well, the writing's on the wall. The Caribe Hilton proudly displays its story of how the piña colada was invented in 1954 by the hotel's bartender, Ramon Monchito Marrero. So he was challenged on a cocktail competition to make a drink that would captivate all of the island flavors. So he used some fresh pineapple, fresh coconuts, because we have a lot of palm trees here. He added some heavy cream and no rum at that time. No rum at that time. And it was handshaken. Handshaken. And then served with crushed ice because we didn't have blenders at those times. The hotel says it now sells 59,000 piña coladas a year. But there's a little trouble in paradise. Another restaurant across town, La Barrachina, claims the drink was invented there and even has a plaque commemorating its birth in 1963. So if another bar says they invented it, you're saying no. Yeah, no San Juan and it's not. It was here. It was here. Truth is, people were likely mixing some combination of those flavors with rum for some time. Going back to basics again. Speaking of mixing, it's time to taste. First, the 1954 original. Pineapple juice, coconut cream, heavy cream, shaken. Topped with crushed ice. Wow, yeah. That's refreshing. Back to 1954. Back to 1954. I'll take it. I'll go back. A classic. Now the modern take. Cut out the heavy cream, add local rum, and mix with ice in the blender. I mean, so refreshing. It goes more out with the outside. Yeah, if we were outside where it's warm and you have the breeze of the ocean, I mean, it all goes perfectly together. It goes perfect, right? That just, it's so nice and that chilling effect on a warm island from this drink, it's great. It's great too. And the pineapple, the coconut, you taste everything. And the rum. And the rum. But just as the drink reflects the beauty and flavors of Puerto Rico, it can also highlight some of its recent struggles. Take pineapples, for example. A decades-long shift away from agriculture on the island forced a reliance on imported fruits, meaning fewer Puerto Rican pineapples, which makes the local kind more expensive. The farms that remained took another giant hit in 2017, Hurricane Maria. Don Manuel Machado runs Finca Don Manuel, a fruit farm. But it's so difficult when a storm hit Puerto Rico. He says most of his plants were destroyed. Now he's encouraged by a generation of younger Puerto Ricans. Who want to revitalize local pineapple production. I think that the young people have an interest to produce, okay, to compensate farmers. Beautiful. Maybe six pounds. 10 years ago, not have this enough people interest in agriculture. The interest in local agriculture is also picking up on the rum side of things. Jose Alvarez runs San Juan Artisan Distillers. Hurricane had disappeared in Puerto Rico. We rescued Puerto Rico heirloom varieties and we propagated them for five years and we have a plot of about 100 acres of sugarcane. Hurricane Maria hit him hard too. Very cool. Isn't that great? But now Alvarez grows and harvests the sugarcane. And that's all the good stuff that's right in there, right? That seeps out, yep. Which is fermented in French cognac pot stills. If these were still in France, they would. They would be making cognac. They would be making cognac. He was eager to show us the fruits of his distillery's labor. This is their white fron pepon. Basically you can feel the amazing notes of the grassiness, flavor of burnt sugarcane, burnt sugar. And it's really extraordinary. He also has a line of rums infused with locally sourced tropical fruits. I think it's an example for Puerto Rico also that you can use our land and produce agricultural goods and process them into a finished product. And that could generate so many jobs and add so much to our economy that it's basically the model that we follow. Back at the Caribe Hilton, Jose Roque is also looking to put his touch on the island's official drink, using the piña colada as an inspiration for other cocktails, like his old-fashioned, made with premium aged rum, coconut bitters, a house-made pineapple syrup, and garnished with orange peel and cherry. Here we go. Salud. Gracias, salud. Cheers. Oh, wow. That's smooth, but you get- Completely different, right? Yeah, it's different from the piña colada, clearly, but you still get- Those flavors. Those flavors in there. It's delicious.

After almost four decades of a bloody conflict that until recently had no end in sight, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement in the presence of the US President Donald Trump. Notably absent in this historic moment is Russia, which no longer plays a central role in the South Caucasus.

Washington

Azerbaijan and Armenia sign historic agreement

Montana's governor said that the dayslong manhunt for the suspect in a bar shooting has ended. 45-year-old Michael Brown was taken into custody on Friday.

Anaconda

Montana bar shooting suspect captured after weeklong manhunt

President Trump announced Friday that he will hold a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska. The summit comes as Russia has been pushing to keep all the Ukrainian territory it gained from its invasion. Nancy Cordes and Margaret Brennan have the latest.

Ukraine Invasion

Trump, Putin to hold meeting in Alaska next week

The U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas in its investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James. CBS News' Jake Rosen reports.

New York

Trump's DOJ subpoenas New York AG Letitia James

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday (August 7), as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.

Moscow

Kremlin says Trump, Putin to meet soon; Ukraine seeks role for Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump's rushed deadline for Russia to strike a ceasefire deal or face more sanctions has arrived without much movement from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump deadline for Russia to reach ceasefire arrives

Protesters in Israel are voicing their concerns about a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet to take over Gaza City. CBS News' Debora Patta has more.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel intends to take full military control of Gaza and push a new offensive, despite mounting international criticism over the war’s human toll and growing hunger crisis.

Israel intends to take full control of Gaza, Netanyahu says

U.S. President Donald Trump said that there is a good chance he'll meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin soon over Russia's war with Ukraine.

Trump says 'good chance' he'll meet with Putin soon

U.S. President Donal Trump officially began levying higher import taxes on dozens of countries on Thursday (August 7), just as the economic fallout of his months-long tariff threats was beginning to create visible damage to the U.S. economy.

Global Tariffs

Higher U.S. tariffs officially take effect

The man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., earlier this year has been charged with federal hate crime charges. CBS News Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Hate crime charges filed in killings of Israeli Embassy staffers

As Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits his sentencing, his lead attorney Marc Agnifilo says he has not talked to anyone at the White House about a possible pardon.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' attorney says he hasn't had talks about a pardon

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, blamed Hamas when asked about starvation in Gaza, saying, "Hamas has not allowed the food to get to the people who are hungry." Huckabee also addressed questions over the controversial aid sites.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel faces questions over starvation in Gaza

On "T-Day," the US began enforcing Trump's new tariffs, raising average rates from 2% to 15% after a 90-day pause allowed some countries to negotiate reduced deals while others, like India and Brazil, faced hikes. These tariffs have generated over $150 billion in revenue by July, impacting various sectors and aiming to address trade imbalances.

U.S. begins collecting Trump's new global tariffs

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he plans to call the leaders of China and India, to discuss a joint response to new US tariffs. The announcement came as Brazil and India were hit with 50 percent levies - the highest imposed by President Donald Trump.

State of Rio de Janeiro

Brazil halts U.S. trade talks as Lula condemns new tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock.

Trump imposes extra 25% tariff on India over Russian oil imports

President Trump has been briefed about the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia, the White House press secretary says. At least five soldiers were shot before a suspect was apprehended, officials say.

Fort Stewart

Five soldiers shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia; suspect apprehended

A Russian official said President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had a "useful and constructive" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.

Witkoff, Putin had 'useful and constructive conversation'

The U.S. aims to deploy nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, targeting the first launch by decade’s end. A new NASA directive, revealed by Politico and AFP, calls for appointing a nuclear power czar to choose two commercial proposals within six months, aiming to outpace a Chinese-Russian collaboration.

NASA races to put nuclear reactors on Moon and Mars

Japan held a memorial service and ceremony for victims and the remaining survivors of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, marking its 80th anniversary and renewing pledges of working towards a world without nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima marks 80th anniversary since U.S. atomic bombing

The U.S. is warning travelers as cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne illness, spreads in China. Health officials in China have ordered mass disinfection measures. The region near Hong Kong reported more than 7,000 cases in recent weeks.

Beijing

U.S. warns travelers as cases of chikungunya increase in China

Japan has commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing during World War II. Ceremonies at Peace Memorial Park honoured the victims of the 1945 nuclear attack by US forces.

Japan’s Hiroshima marks 80 years since U.S. atomic bombing

Multiple media outlets in Israel have reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a complete military takeover of Gaza, while almost 600 former Israeli military and security officials are petitioning Washington to stop the fighting.

Netanyahu reportedly wants complete Gaza takeover

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he had a productive talk with President Trump focused on ending the war with Russia. CBS News national security contributor Samantha Vinograd has more.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy holds 'productive talks' with Trump about war

Family members of two of the victims from the 2023 implosion are demanding tougher regulations following the damning report released on Tuesday. Five people died when the submersible imploded off the coast of Newfoundland.

Breakdown