Back in the 1950s, a man named Don Ramon Lopez-Irizarry, working in a small commercial laboratory in Puerto Rico, hit upon the invention of coconut cream, a delicious homogenized cream made from the tender white of the coconut. This product went on to become the original Coco Lopez cream of coconut, the secret to a successful Piña Colada. Initially, Don Ramon used the coconut cream for tropical dishes and desserts. It was not until 1957 that a bartender at the Caribe Hilton came up with the ingenious idea of mixing rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream and ice in a blender to create what was to become the island's favorite drink. Today the Piña Colada is one of the most popular orders in lounges and bars of San Juan.