Creamy Coquito Recipe

If you close your eyes and think of the winter holidays, what do you see first? A twinkling Christmas tree or a softly flickering menorah, gently falling snow on chilly afternoons, a whole lot of presents piled up and just waiting to be unwrapped? Okay, what tastes do you imagine? Rich cocoa with marshmallows floating on top, or maybe a lavish turkey dinner feast? Or, what about mulled wine or a good stout? Well, here's a new taste for you to add to the holidays: the coquito.

Coquito means "little coconut" in Spanish, but it's also the name of a Christmas drink that was first enjoyed in Puerto Rico. The coconut-based beverage, usually made with rum, is rather like eggnog (it's even called Puerto Rican eggnog sometimes) and, like nog, is a wonderful holiday treat. But once you have made yourself a coquito, following this recipe from Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating, you may decide to go ahead and make this an any day drink instead of a holiday exclusive.

To make a batch of coquitos, you'll need coconut milk, coconut cream, condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, and ground nutmeg.

"Any rum that's dark in color is great," Brookes says. "Or you could use bourbon or spiced rum, too. The non-alcoholic version will taste slightly sweeter and richer without the rum kick."

To start the recipe off, add all of the ingredients (except for the rum or other chosen liquor) to a large saucepan. Warm everything in the pan on a medium heat, stirring frequently, and keeping the burner going just until the mixture begins to bubble. 

"When heating the ingredients in the pan, be sure to stir frequently to prevent the condensed milk sinking to the bottom and burning," Brookes notes.

As soon as the liquid in the pan begins to simmer, cut the heat. Then remove the pan from the burner, cover it, and leave the mixture to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will allow all the flavors to blend and infuse. 

After the half hour of cooling and infusing time is up, add the rum or bourbon and stir the coquito well. Next, remove the cinnamon sticks and chill the beverage in the fridge until it is properly cold, giving it at least 1 to 2 hours. (You can transfer it to a pitcher or sealed container for this chilling.)

Once the drink has chilled, give it a quick stir, then pour out servings of coquito and top each with an extra dusting of nutmeg on top — this is optional, but advised. And now enjoy this drink that Brookes says is "definitely a great one for the holiday season!"