Coquito (spiced creamy coconut drink from Puerto Rico)

Christmas in Puerto Rico isn’t complete without a few bottles of coquito to take home. Often called “Puerto Rican eggnog,” coquito combines the rich cream and warm spice flavors of this holiday drink with tropical flavors like coconut and rum (if you want to spice up the drink, of course).

There are several ways to make coquito. The simplest requires little more than mixing coconut milk, coconut cream, condensed milk, and condensed milk with spices like ground cinnamon until frothy; add a little rum, put it in the fridge and it’s ready.

This version is just a little more complex, but pays off with layers of flavors. First, we create a spicy “tea” by infusing the condensed milk with a whole cinnamon stick, cloves and ginger slices. These solids are strained and then blended with the other ingredients, although we leave out the coconut cream, which we think makes for an extremely sweet drink (if that sweetness and tangier coconut flavor is to your taste, we wouldn’t blame you for sneaking a can of coconut cream in there).

The last step of our recipe is optional: it also involves mixing in the egg yolks, for a richer, creamier drink. This isn’t something you see in many modern blender-only coquito recipes today, but it’s not unusual. Add them if you like or leave them out. It’s up to you.

The same goes for rum. Coquito is delicious with or without, although we find the sweetness of the alcohol helps balance the flavors well.

December 2011