Coquito: A Puerto Rican Christmas Delight
Creamy, decadent, and spiked with rum, it's the perfect holiday indulgence.
Creamy, decadent, and spiked with rum, it's the perfect holiday indulgence.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
- 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (15oz) can coconut cream (such as coco lopez or goya)
- 3 cups rum (preferably light but dark rum always works! see variations at the end for low or no alcohol versions)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise (optional)
- Carbohydrate 7.41496247340612 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.10278078008467 g
- Fiber 4.1855123172221 g
- Protein 0.319544606885351 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0280340073622672 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (16g)
- Sodium 1.54423209745702 mg
- Sugar 3.22945015618402 g
- Trans Fat 0.0488202848622529 g
- Calories 44 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, and coconut cream in a large blender and blend until well combined. Add the rum, vanilla, and ground cinnamon, and blend in. (If your blender is small, do this in batches and pour into a large bowl as you go.)
- Pour into a pitcher or glass bottles with sealed lids and drop in the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean halves. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until very cold.
- Serve straight in small glasses garnished or on the rocks in larger ones. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a cinnamon stick. Leftovers will keep tightly sealed in the refrigerator for about one week (shake the jar vigorously each time before serving).
- ***Want to make it a little bit less strong? To cut the rum, replace the desired amount of rum with equal parts ice cold coconut or whole milk.
- ***For a non-alcoholic or virgin coquito, cut out the rum, and replace it with one cup ice cold coconut or whole milk and one cup ice cold filtered water.
Processing high-fat dairy and high-proof alcohol together requires managing emulsification limits to prevent the mixture from breaking during blending. When combining dense coconut cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk with three cups of rum, standard mixing vessels often lack the capacity needed to incorporate air properly without spilling over. Working in batches using a high-powered blender ensures the blades generate enough vortex force to thoroughly integrate the heavy fats of the coconut with the alcohol before the mixture is transferred to storage vessels.
Chilling the beverage for a minimum of two hours allows the dissolved sugars and dairy proteins to tighten, yielding a thicker mouthfeel upon pouring. Because the high alcohol content acts as a preservative, properly sealed glass bottles stored below 40 degrees Fahrenheit will remain stable for approximately one week, though natural separation of coconut solids will occur over time and necessitates a vigorous shake prior to serving.
Adjusting the spirit volume requires maintaining the liquid balance so the body does not become overly thin; substituting the rum with equal parts of cold whole milk or coconut milk preserves the essential viscosity required for a traditional pour.
