Wepa! as my friend Emille would say! This sassy friend of mine is full of fun, hugs, dances, and delicious recipes! She first sent me the recipe for Coquito recipe last year and I was so intrigued. I hate eggnog (ew) but I love all things coconut, so I decided to give it a try! I promise, you, you’ll be dancing all the way to New Year’s Eve with this rummy cocktail. Many folks say the Puerto Rican cocktail was brought to the Caribbean area by Spanish invaders. The invaders took their version of holiday eggnog and combined it with the local rum. The drink continues to spread across various islands, creating different variations.
Though the variations are very similar they all point to what is considered the original recipe: coconut milk, sugar, and spirit. Make it your own by adding an extra dash of cloves to this Puerto Rican Eggnog (sort of) or give it a twist with double vanilla. Make sure you have a batch of Coquito for Christmas morning to pair with these Christmas breakfast ideas!
Coquito Video
For a quick visual, I made a Coquito Recipe Video to give you an idea of ingredient addition. Make sure you blend well. I actually store mine in the blender pitcher for quick re-mixing and frothing. Serve it up cold on ice and sip, sip, sip your way to a Merry Christmas!!
Coquito Recipe
I get nearly all my ingredients from ALDI, save the Cream of Coconut; that comes from Publix because I can’t find it anywhere else! You’ll want to use a quality rum for this recipe since the flavor is so prevalent. Bacardi is my choice.
It’s important to measure out your spices and blend them extremely well so you don’t end up with a clump o’ cinnamon. This is not a cinnamon challenge… it’s a coconut eggnog recipe!
The original recipe (or traditional version) doesn’t add a cup of coconut milk or half & half. For me (and Emille) that makes the drink too sweet and concentrated. Spread the wealth by adding a cup of your choice and pour a half glass over ice. The taste is slightly different between the dairy choices, so choose which one you like best!
Dust with cinnamon as a garnish or add a cinnamon stick to a short glass. After all, Coquito means “little coconut” so a big glass isn’t the end goal.
Coquito
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups 1 15 oz can cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez)
- 1 cup coconut milk or Half & Half
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup white rum
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend well. I use my Ninja to make this, because the Cream of Coconut needs to be well blended.
- Since you are starting with only one cup of white rum, you may add more to taste; the flavor of the rum gets stronger the longer the drink marinates, so I only use 1 cup.
- Keep in the fridge for 4-6 months in an airtight container.
- If the coquito has a little fat layer at that top after sitting in the fridge, stir and shake to reblend. The fat separation of coconut milk is normal.
Notes
For another tropical yet spiced cocktail, try my Skyscraper Cocktail. A blend of ginger, orange and Cranberry makes for a unique and delicious blend of flavors. Cheers!
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