Virgin Miami Vice

The Miami vice cocktail is a retro frozen drink created sometime before the popular '80s crime drama that shares its name. A favorite of beach bars and nightclubs for decades, it's typically made with rum. This virgin Miami vice recipe skips the liquor to create a colorful tropical fruit smoothie that everyone will enjoy.

The concept behind the Miami vice is that it's a drink in which the piña colada and strawberry daiquiri become one in the glass. The drink is layered, so you'll actually mix two separate drinks in the blender: The creamy pineapple-coconut smoothie goes into the glass first, then it's topped with a lime-kissed strawberry purée. It's pretty simple and takes just a few minutes to create.

Most of the ingredients come straight from the can. Choose a quality pineapple juice and buy it in smaller cans to ensure it's as fresh as possible. Coconut cream is also a canned product, and if you use the unsweetened variety, you might want to add a bit of sugar to the first layer. Cream of coconut is a thicker and sweeter option often preferred for drinks, and it's great in this recipe. For the strawberry purée, blend some fresh or frozen strawberries until smooth before making the drink; a pint of strawberries creates about 1 1/4 cups of purée. The lime juice is the one ingredient that should absolutely be fresh (the bottled variety is often too sweet or unnaturally flavored). You'll need to squeeze a few limes to get the 3 tablespoons required for a single drink.

The virgin Miami vice is an utterly delicious frozen mocktail that is fun to make. It's a perfect summertime treat for hot afternoons, and it's deal for parties and celebrations that include guests of all ages.