Name: Easy 3-Ingredient Chi Chi Cocktail
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Drinks
Ingredients: Crushed or pebbled Ice (To fill the glass); 4 oz 100% pineapple juice (Such as Dole); 1½ oz Vodka; 1 oz Cream of coconut (Such as Coco López or Coco Real); 1 Pineapple wedge (For garnish optional); 1 Maraschino or Luxardo cherry (For garnish optional)

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Your 3-Minute Ticket to Paradise

There are moments on a sweltering hot afternoon when the world seems to slow down, and the only thing you can dream of is a cool breeze and a shady spot by the water. It’s a craving for more than just a cold drink; it’s a desire for a vacation in a glass. I used to think that creating a truly transportive, tropical cocktail required a long list of fancy liqueurs and syrups. I was wrong. The secret to an instant mental getaway is this unbelievably simple Chi Chi cocktail recipe. With just three basic ingredients, you can shake up a creamy, pineapple-and-coconut dream that will make any backyard feel like a beachside resort.

Contents

Your 3-Minute Ticket to Paradise
The 3 Simple Ingredients for Your Tropical Escape
Timing Breakdown
Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Chill Your Glass
Step 2: Shake It Up!
Step 3: Strain, Garnish, and Escape

Nutritional Information
Variations and Lighter Alternatives
Serving Suggestions
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Storing Tips
Your Instant Tropical Getaway
FAQs

Q1: What is the difference between a Chi Chi and a Piña Colada?
Q2: What is cream of coconut? Is it the same as coconut cream?
Q3: Can I make this a frozen blended drink?
Q4: What’s the best vodka to use for a Chi Chi?
Q5: How can I make crushed ice at home?

Easy 3-Ingredient Chi Chi Cocktail

Description
Ingredients
Instructions

Chill Your Glass:
Shake It Up:
Strain & Garnish:
Serve Immediately:

Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?

The 3 Simple Ingredients for Your Tropical Escape

The beauty of the Chi Chi lies in its simplicity. It’s essentially a Piña Colada for vodka lovers, delivering all that creamy, tropical flavour with just a handful of ingredients.

Ingredient	Quantity	Notes
Vodka	121 ounces	A clean, neutral vodka allows the fruit flavours to be the star.
100% Pineapple Juice	4 ounces	Use a good quality, chilled pineapple juice for the best taste.
Cream of Coconut	1 ounce	This is the secret ingredient! Use a sweetened brand like Coco Lopez or Coco Real. This is not coconut cream or milk.
Crushed or Pebbled Ice	for serving	Essential for that classic, refreshing tiki-drink feel.
Pineapple Wedge & Maraschino Cherry	for garnish (optional)	The perfect finishing touch to complete the vacation vibe.

Timing Breakdown

Forget complicated mixology. This classic tiki cocktail is ready in the time it takes to find your sunglasses.

Preparation Time: 3 minutes
“Cook” Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: Approximately 3 minutes

Data Insight: This sophisticated tropical cocktail is shaken and ready in under 5 minutes. Its simple, three-ingredient formula makes it one of the fastest classic tiki cocktails to prepare—significantly quicker than multi-ingredient drinks like a Mai Tai, which often requires 6-8 different components.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Chill Your Glass

The first step to any great cocktail is a properly chilled vessel. Fill your serving glass (an old-fashioned, highball, or tiki glass works great) to the top with crushed or pebbled ice. This will chill the glass while you mix your drink.

Step 2: Shake It Up!

In a cocktail shaker, combine the vodka, pineapple juice, and the all-important cream of coconut. Fill the shaker about three-quarters full with regular ice cubes. Secure the lid tightly. Now, shake it like you mean it! Shake vigorously for about 20-30 seconds. Pro Tip: You’ll know it’s perfectly chilled and aerated when the outside of the metal shaker becomes frosty and ice-cold to the touch.

Step 3: Strain, Garnish, and Escape

Using a cocktail strainer (like a Hawthorne strainer), strain the frosty mixture from the shaker into your prepared ice-filled glass. Garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge and a bright red maraschino cherry. Take a sip, and enjoy your instant vacation.

Nutritional Information

This is a sweet, indulgent cocktail. Here is an approximate nutritional breakdown for one drink.

Calories: Approx. 280 kcal
Carbohydrates: 32g
Sugar: 30g
Fat: 5g

Disclaimer: Nutrition is estimated and can vary based on the specific brands of juice and cream of coconut used.

Variations and Lighter Alternatives

Customize your tropical escape to fit your taste.

Make it a Mocktail: For a delicious non-alcoholic version, simply omit the vodka. The combination of pineapple juice and cream of coconut is a fantastic treat on its own.
Lower Sugar: Use unsweetened pineapple juice. While it’s difficult to find a low-sugar cream of coconut, using a little less can help reduce the overall sweetness.
Frozen Blended Chi Chi: For a slushy-style drink, combine all the liquid ingredients in a blender with about 1.5 cups of ice and blend until smooth.
Add a Twist: A squeeze of fresh lime juice into the shaker can add a lovely, bright acidity that balances the sweetness.

Serving Suggestions

This cocktail is perfect for any sunny occasion.

Poolside Sipping: This is the ultimate drink for lounging by the pool or in your backyard on a hot day.
Summer BBQs: A batch of these will make you the star of any summer cookout.
Make a Pitcher for a Party: To serve a crowd, you can pre-mix the liquid ingredients in a pitcher, keeping the 4:1.5:1 ratio of pineapple juice to vodka to cream of coconut. Store the pitcher in the fridge. When ready to serve, just shake individual portions with ice to get the proper chill and frothy texture.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using Coconut Milk or Cream: This is the most critical mistake. Cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez) is a thick, sweet, syrupy product specifically designed for cocktails. Regular coconut milk or coconut cream is unsweetened and much thinner, and will result in a watery, bland, and disappointing drink.
Not Shaking Vigorously Enough: A quick stir won’t do. The vigorous shaking with ice is essential for three reasons: it chills the drink to the perfect temperature, it perfectly combines the thick cream of coconut with the other liquids, and it aerates the mixture, creating a light, frothy texture.
Using Warm Ingredients: For the coldest, most refreshing cocktail, start with chilled pineapple juice and vodka if possible.
Forgetting the Garnish: While optional, the garnish is part of the fun! The visual cue of a pineapple wedge and a cherry instantly signals “tropical vacation” to your brain before you even take a sip.

Storing Tips

Cocktails like this are meant to be made fresh and enjoyed immediately.

Storage: This drink does not store well after it has been shaken with ice.
Ingredient Tip: An open can of cream of coconut can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. You can also freeze leftover cream of coconut in an ice cube tray for future cocktails.

Your Instant Tropical Getaway

The Chi Chi cocktail is a timeless classic for a reason. It’s an effortlessly elegant, creamy, and refreshing drink that proves you don’t need a complicated recipe to create something truly special. As the perfect vodka-based alternative to a Piña Colada, this simple 3-ingredient recipe is your fastest ticket to a tropical state of mind. It’s the perfect, easy-to-master cocktail for summer parties, relaxing afternoons, or any time you need to bring the beach to your backyard.

We can’t wait for you to shake up this easy tropical treat! Let us know what you think by leaving a comment and a rating below. Be sure to subscribe for more simple and delicious cocktail recipes!

FAQs

Q1: What is the difference between a Chi Chi and a Piña Colada?

They are very similar tropical cocktails, with one key difference: the spirit! A classic Piña Colada is made with rum, while a Chi Chi is made with vodka. If you’re a vodka fan, the Chi Chi is the perfect choice for you.

Q2: What is cream of coconut? Is it the same as coconut cream?

No, they are very different products and cannot be used interchangeably in this recipe. Cream of coconut (brands like Coco Lopez or Coco Real) is a thick, sweet, processed coconut product made with coconut, sugar, and emulsifiers. It’s found in the cocktail mixer aisle. Coconut cream is the thick, unsweetened fat that rises to the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk.

Q3: Can I make this a frozen blended drink?

Yes, absolutely! To make a frozen Chi Chi, combine 4 ounces pineapple juice, 121 ounces vodka, 1 ounce cream of coconut, and about 121 cups of ice in a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and slushy.

Q4: What’s the best vodka to use for a Chi Chi?

Since the cocktail is so fruit-forward, you don’t need to use a top-shelf, expensive vodka. A good quality, clean, and neutral mid-range vodka like Tito’s, Absolut, or Smirnoff will work perfectly.

Q5: How can I make crushed ice at home?

It’s easy! If you don’t have an ice crusher, you can place regular ice cubes in a clean, durable bag (like a canvas bag or a doubled-up zip-top bag). Lay the bag on a sturdy surface and whack it with a mallet, rolling pin, or the back of a heavy spoon until the ice is broken into small, pebbly pieces.