What is a Miami Vice drink, you may ask? Miami Vice cocktail ingredients include two separate Caribbean cocktails, a Strawberry Daiquiri and a Piña Colada. What a treat! Our Miami Vice recipe is definitely one of the best beach cocktails to transport you to the sun-soaked shores of Mexico or Miami. When you can’t choose between two great cocktails, make both with this two-in-one cocktail – it really is the best of both worlds.
Miami Vice Drink Recipe
PREP TIME 10 min
QUICK TIPS
INGREDIENTS
MAKE FOR
1 Person
For the Strawberry Daiquiri
1
cup fresh strawberries, hulled
1
Oz
30
Ml
1
Parts
lime juice, freshly squeezed
0.5
simple syrup
ice
For the Piña Colada
1
Oz
30
Ml
1
Parts
Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum
2
coconut cream
0.5
oz simple syrup
2
fresh pineapple juice
To garnish, a wedge of pineapple
INSTRUCTIONS
01
1.
Add a handful of ice to the blender with all of the Daiquiri ingredients and blend until smooth
02
2.
Pour into a hurricane glass and place in the freezer
03
3.
Rinse and dry the blender jug
04
4.
Add all the Piña Colada ingredients to the blender with another good handful of ice and blend until smooth
05
5.
Take the glass from the freezer and gently top it up with the Piña Colada
06
6.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge and enjoy
Why is it called Miami Vice?
Created in Miami, the Miami Vice cocktail is named after the 80s hit cop show of the same name and has been a fixture on the beach bar scene ever since. In the show, everything was over the top with 80s style and all the glitzy beach glam you can imagine. The Miami Vice cocktail is no exception and should be served just as extravagantly!
How to make a Miami Vice cocktail
Although a Miami Vice recipe does mean doubling up on cocktail ingredients, don’t be put off by this duo drink. It’s really simple to whip up!
The Miami Vice cocktail ingredients include good quality white rum. We like a Jamaican rum for this drink, such as Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum because the molasses notes don’t overpower this fruit-forward cocktail. Another good one is Trois Rivières White Rum, as the spiced honey blends well with the strawberry and pineapple flavors.
For the Strawberry Daiquiri element, you’ll need some gorgeous strawberries and fresh lime juice — both best friends with rum. Sweeten these with a little homemade simple syrup (or store bought). Blitz the strawberries with the rum, syrup, and lime in a blender with a handful of ice until smooth. Pour this into a hurricane glass and place it in the freezer.
For the Piña Colada part, you’ll need freshly squeezed pineapple juice (store bought is fine if you can’t get fresh) and decadent coconut cream. Tip all the Piña Colada ingredients along with another handful of ice in the blender. Give it a quick blitz until smooth. Take the Daiquiri out of the freezer and gently pour the Piña Colada over the top. Serve and enjoy!
The best tips for making a Miami Vice recipe
Here are some tricks to make this retro drink in the best way:
- Ideally, you’ll need a strong blender to crush your Miami Vice cocktail ingredients and the ice into a slushie texture. If you only have an immersion or stick blender, you can whizz the ingredients in a jug and stir in crushed ice
- If you want to make this cocktail with frozen fruit, omit the ice
- To ensure the two layers don’t blend when mixing, pour your Piña Colada over the back of a spoon for the best layered effect
- Go wild with the garish garnish — add straws, umbrellas, strawberries, and pineapple wedges to your glasses
- Easy summer cocktails like this refreshing cooler are best served on hot humid summer days, even if you wish you were at the beach. It’s perfect for backyard BBQs, summer celebrations, and all outdoor gatherings with friends
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This iconic Miami Vice recipe is easy to make if you have a blender. It’s made in two parts; first up is the Strawberry Daiquiri. Blitz it together and pour into a glass to place in the freezer. Then Piña Colada ingredients are whizzed up and poured over the strawberry layer to create the beautiful Miami Vice cocktail.
This oh-so tropical tiki bar cocktail is a duo drink of Strawberry Daiquiri and Piña Colada. Inspired by the hit tv cop show, it was popular in the 80s and 90s on the nightclub and beach bar scene in Miami.
For all the Miami Vice cocktail ingredients you’ll need a decent white rum like Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum for both cocktails. For the Strawberry Daiquiri, you’ll also need strawberries and fresh lime juice as well as little a simple syrup to sweeten things. In the Piña Colada part, you’ll mix the rum with fresh pineapple juice and cream of coconut. Happy days!
