Coquito

5 from 23 votes

Coquito is a Puerto Rican rum and milk punch (similar to eggnog but different) that is made around the holidays. This coquito recipe is flavorful, rich and perfectly spiced.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Steeping Time30

Total Time45

Course: Drinks, Holiday

Cuisine: American, Puerto Rican

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Cost: $12

Equipment

1 blender

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups filtered water
2 cinnamon sticks (broken in half)
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Pinch kosher salt
1 (13.5-ounce) can light or full-fat coconut milk (I prefer light coconut milk)
1 (15-ounce) can Coco Lopez cream of coconut
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
350 ml good-quality white rum (1 1/4 cup)

Instructions

To Make the Coquito:

In a saucepan, set over medium heat, add the water, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Bring to a rapid simmer. And then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let it steep for 10 minutes. During this time, the water will become a delicious cinnamon and nutmeg flavored water. When it's done steeping, remove the cinnamon stick and discard.
Note: If your blender isn't big enough, you may need to do this in batches.
Pour the cinnamon/flavored water into a blender, along with the coconut milk, cream of coconut, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and rum. Blend it up until very smooth, about 15 to 30 seconds. Give the coquito a taste and adjust the rum to taste. Some may say I'm soft for this little amount of rum so feel free to add more if you like!

To Chill the Coquito:

Pour the coquito into pitchers and transfer to the fridge to chill, at least 2 hours. Ideally overnight. I like mine super cold.

To Serve the Coquito:

You can serve it neat (zero ice) or over ice. It's definitely your call. I personally like it over ice. Add a grating of nutmeg for a garnish or you could serve it with a cinnamon stick. Your call!

Notes

Tips and Tricks:

I love this recipe with Puerto Rican white rum. That I believe is traditional. But a lot of people also add brandy. You're welcome to do this too. Simply add half of the amount of rum and substitute the second half with brandy.
I've found that this recipe stays pretty smooth but some coconut fat might solidify toward the top of the pitcher as it chills. You can just whisk it in or scoop it out and discard it. It's because the fat from the coconut is solidifying. If this happens to you, I would pop it in the blender right before serving. That should dissolve any bits that might've solidified.

Nutrition