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The name Coquito literally translates to “Little Coconut.” In Miami, though, Coquito means “Christmas is here.” This coconut-based alcoholic drink originated in Puerto Rico. It’s a popular drink to have around the holidays, and pretty much all Latinos in Miami have adopted it as a holiday staple. If I’m ever a loss for what to bring to a holiday party, I can rarely go wrong if I show up with a bottle of homemade coquito.
Old-school coquito recipes are made with egg yolks, hence why it’s often referred to as “Puerto Rican eggnog.” They both also use cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg as flavorings. The recipe that I use is egg-free, as are a lot of the more modern takes on this holiday beverage. This means that it comes together fairly quickly. However, if you really miss the extra thickness that the eggs provide, you can always add them to your liking.
To add some extra depth of flavor to the coquito, boil water with some cinnamon sticks and cloves. Let the water reduce, then set it aside to cool while you prepare everything else.
Meanwhile, grind another cinnamon stick with more cloves. You can use pre-ground spices if you like, but the fresh ground spices add more flavor. For extra oomph, toast your spices lightly in a pan before grinding.
Combine all of your canned milks/creams, ground spices, rum, vanilla, and the spiced water (discard the whole spices) in a blender and blend until combined. Taste your coquito and adjust any spices if you wish.
Store your coquito in the refrigerator and serve it cold. Bottled coquito makes a great gift. It is very rich, so a little goes a long way.
You can also make coquito ice cream using this same recipe, but reduce the amount of rum to 1 cup. Most recipes recommend to use white rum to make coquito, but I prefer to use spiced rum. I think it adds a little something.
Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)
Ingredients
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 20 whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 cup water
- 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 12oz can evaporated milk
- 1 14oz can cream of coconut
- 1 13.5oz can coconut milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups Puerto Rican rum
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the water 2 cinnamon sticks, and 10 cloves. Bring to a boil and cook until the water has reduce to about 1/3 cup. Remove from heat and set aside to cool, then discard the whole spices.
Grind the remaining cinnamon stick and cloves (toast them beforehand if you like) using a coffee or spice grinder.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender. Add the ground spices and the spiced water. Blend until combined. Pour into bottles or jars and refrigerate until ready to serve.