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Coquito is a popular holiday drink from Puerto Rico that is similar to egg nog, but made with coconut. It’s delicious, filling, and perfect for family gatherings. Ever year we have lots of visitors coming to The Thirsty Quaker for coquito-making supplies, so we’ve finally put together a handy recipe for everyone! We also have pre-packed coquito-making kits to save you a trip to the grocery store.
Items Needed
- 1 (750ml) bottle of Bacardi Superior
- 2 (14oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 2 (15oz) cans cream of coconut
- 2 (13.5oz) cans coconut milk
- 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 4 (750ml) clear wine bottles
- 4 tasting corks
- A 5” funnel
- A 1 gallon pot or pitcher
- A blender (immersion or regular) or whisk
Process
- Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and cream of coconut. An immersion blender is easiest, but you can also use a traditional blender on the cream of coconut and whisk with other ingredients, or just whisk everything together.
- Add spice pack (not cinnamon sticks) and rum. Blend or whisk until well combined.
- Carefully pour into glass bottles using funnel, add a stick of cinnamon to each bottle, cork, and refrigerate.
- It may help to transfer to a pitcher first to make for easier pouring.
- Chill for at least 4 hours
- Store in refrigerator for up to a month. It’s natural for the coquito to separate, just shake before pouring.
Notes on Variations
There are lots of variants of coquito – everyone seems to have their own family recipe. Here are a few tweaks to make your own special recipe:
- Egg yolks or even whole eggs can be added to thicken and emulsify the coquito. The high alcohol content and refrigeration means the eggs do not need to be heated. Add 1-4 egg yolks per batch.
- Vanilla extract is generally used instead of vanilla powder, it’s just easier for us to pack vanilla powder.
- Nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, allspice, and even star anise are common spices that you can use.
- Raisins soaked with rum can be added to bottles for a special treat.
- Any kind of rum (or no rum) can be used in this recipe. Light, dark, or even spiced rum work well. A reduced amount of rum is also fine!
- Some recipes call to heat the milk blend with spices to steep them and extract flavor.