Friends, there’s no Tourist Tuesday today. I had the best of intentions to go out and do something, I really did. But, instead this weekend I stayed home and prepared for Christmas because Ryan and I leave for the U.S. tomorrow! I spent the weekend finishing my shopping, tackling the mountain of laundry, cleaning the apartment, and seeing some friends. We also wrapped presents, listened to Christmas music, and sipped on coquito. It was low-key and wonderfully festive.
Coquito is basically a Puerto Rican version of egg nog, although the recipe I use, and many others I’ve found, don’t include eggs. What makes the recipe Puerto Rican is the coconut and the rum. It’s great because coquito is creamy and flavored with cinnamon, like many holiday treats, but it also evokes the memories of warm weather and summer cocktails.
My memories of coquito are closely tied with my Uncle José and Titi Lisa because they always bring it with them for Christmas. Yesterday, my aunt posted a photo from my parents house of her preparing to make coquito (my own prep picture is below). For me, that’s a clear sign it is almost Christmas – family is getting together and treats are being prepared.
Coquito is such an important part of Latino Christmas that El Museo del Barrio in New York City has an annual coquito tasting contest every year. How cool is that?! What have I been doing with my life that I’ve never tried to go to this?! One day I will have to remedy this oversight.
Coquito is a recipe, that for me, you don’t have to get crazy about the exact proportions of the ingredients. I found tons of recipes with different amounts of cinnamon, that use a double boiler, or use coconut milk instead of coconut cream. I suggest try it out my way, then play with the recipe until you find the flavor combination you like.
Even though, I think it’s totally fine to play with the recipe, I do have a few tasting notes. Straight out of the blender coquito is frothy and light, but room temperature. Feel free to chill it, but then the ingredients will separate and you’ll need to give it a good shake before serving again. In the future, I want to experiment with using egg whites and xanthan gum (I know not very traditional but it’s what Starbucks uses in frappuccinos) to see if I can make the perfect coquito that doesn’t separate – and then maybe I’ll be ready for the taste-testing competition. Also, you don’t have to add rum but I recommend it because it cuts back some of the sweetness – and also during the hoildays you should totally celebrate with a cocktail. If you’re definitely going to make a non-alcholic batch I suggest cutting back on the sweetened condensed milk and then you’ll have a subtler flavor.
Interested in other Puerto Rican foods for the holiday season? I’ve got a few suggestions including recipes for arepas, flan, and arroz con gandules.
Messy level: One spoon. There is nothing easier than opening can and blending it all in the blender.
- 1 15 oz can coconut cream
- 1 15 oz can coconut milk
- 1 13 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 13 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- pinch of salt
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon (more or less to your taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (more or less to your taste)
- pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- white rum (optional, but highly recommended)
- Add all ingredients, except the rum, to a blender.
- Mix until frothy and you can see the cinnamon is dotted throughout and not concentrated into any one area.
- Add the rum a little bit at a time, blend, taste, then adjust until it is too your liking. I would start with ¾ cup then work your way up from there.
- Chill if you like. Then serve garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick.
