Charred Pineapple Cooler
Grilling pineapple caramelizes its sugars into a smoky-sweet juice that transforms a simple soda into something remarkable.
Ingredients
- 4 oz charred pineapple juice (grill pineapple rings on high heat until char marks appear; blend and strain)
- 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
- 0.25 oz simple syrup
- Soda water, to top
- Grilled pineapple wedge, to garnish
Instructions
- 1Grill pineapple rings on a very hot grill or cast-iron pan until dark char marks develop on both sides.
- 2Blend grilled pineapple with a splash of water and strain to extract juice.
- 3Combine charred pineapple juice, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice.
- 4Shake well and strain into an ice-filled highball glass.
- 5Top with soda water and garnish with a small grilled pineapple wedge.
Origin & Story
Char and smoke are usually reserved for whiskey barrels or mezcal agaves — but grilling fresh pineapple concentrates its sugars and adds a caramel, slightly smoky quality that no other technique produces. This mocktail came out of the farm-to-glass and grill-bar movements, where bartenders began treating the grill as a cocktail tool.
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