Mixing pineapple juice into cocktails and mixed drinks has been taking place for hundreds of years. Christopher Columbus didn't actually discover the Americas, it was the Vikings that did that, but nevertheless Mr. Columbus did introduce pineapples to Old World Europe. The fruit was an instant hit upon arriving, although for a century or two they would only be available to nobles or the very richest members of society. The upper class Europeans quickly began mixing the fruit and it's juices with local spirits and liqueurs, such as homemade vodka, wine, and even beer. It was in Europe that the fascination with pineapples and pineapple juice would begin, a journey that would eventually introduce the fruit to every corner of the world. Pineapples would even work their way into the world of medicine, an accomplishment that few fruits enjoy.
When it comes to mixed drinks and cocktails, most bartenders will tell you that having pineapple juice on hand is a must. There are so many popular drinks that call for pineapple juice, such as the world famous Pina Colada, or the Blue Hawaiian, Mai Tai, Hurricane, Caribou Lou, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Malibu Bay Breeze, Lava Flow, or the Zombie. At a quick glance around the internet, one can quickly find at least two thousand commonly ordered drinks that contain pineapple juice. It's debatable, but that might make pineapple juice the most often used juice when it comes to mixing drinks. Not a bad accomplishment, considering pineapple juice is not the most commonly consumed juice outside of the mixed drinks world, I believe that title is divided between apple juice and orange juice.
There are many reasons as to why pineapple juice is so popular in the bartending world, but the primary reasons are it's sweetness, and it's flexibility in accommodating so many other flavors. Pineapple juice despite being extremely unique in taste, can accompany just about anything without clashing. Heck, I've even poured pineapple juice and milk over a bowl of Post Grape Nuts cereal, and it was absolutely delicious. The same goes with spirits, liqueurs, and beers, you can add in pineapple juice without worrying about it's flavor clashing. Personally I find that the best ingredients to accompany pineapple juice, are dairy or milk based products. I've made amazing cocktails with regular milk, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, even goat's milk. Toss in a little ice and white rum, and you are all set to go.
The least talked about advantage to adding pineapple juice into a cocktail or mixed drink, is that you can pack into your beverage of choice tons of vitamins and nutrients, especially if you use raw homemade pineapple juice. Pineapple juice contains lots of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and many others. If you are able to use raw homemade pineapple juice straight from the juicer, then you will also get the number one benefit that the juice has to offer, which is an enzyme known as Bromelain. This enzyme is often use in medicine, as it has some very strong health benefits, such as acting as a natural anti-inflammatory agent, which can treat many forms of muscle or bone pain. Bromelain is also healthy for the heart, circulatory system, nervous system, and digestive system. However only raw fresh pineapple juice contains this rare enzyme.
