Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Coquito — which translates to “little coconut” in Spanish — is a popular Puerto Rican holiday cocktail that is typically consumed on the island from the day after Thanksgiving through mid-January.
Blending rum with coconut, milk and spices, the drink is often referred to as a Puerto Rican eggnog, even though traditional coquito recipes don’t use eggs (some contemporary recipes call for the optional addition of an egg yolk).
This recipe is enough to fill two 750-ml bottles and makes a great gift. Double it if you want to make more to share. Channel the Caribbean spirit with this unique and festive holiday beverage.
Ingredients:
• 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 15-ounce can cream of coconut*
• 1 cup light rum*
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Method:
Mix all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth and fully combined. (Blend in batches, if using a smaller blender.) Pour into glass bottles and chill for at least two hours.
To serve, shake well and pour into a small glass. Garnish with cinnamon.
* Ingredients notes:
1. While canned cream of coconut is preferred, you can substitute the equivalent amount from the cream of coconut that comes in a plastic bottle (often found in the cocktail mixers aisle at grocery stores).
2. While Puerto Rican white rum is preferred, but you can sub your favorite rum. Some people prefer spiced rum to amplify the complexity of flavors.