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Coquito
Puerto Rico's creamy Christmas coconut drink with rum, cinnamon and nutmeg; contains alcohol, with an alcohol-free version (chill overnight)
Coquito is Puerto Rico's Christmas in a glass: bottles of it are made in early December, given to neighbours and poured at every parranda, the late-night singing visits from house to house, until the Fiesta de San Sebastián in Old San Juan in January. This version contains alcohol: it blends coconut milk, sweet cream of coconut and condensed and evaporated milk with Puerto Rican white rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. It's thick, cold and sweet, with the warmth of rum behind the spice. For children and anyone avoiding alcohol, make it without the rum as described in the steps. Chef's tip: let it rest in the fridge overnight; the spices bloom and the rum mellows, and it tastes far rounder on the second day.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Warm the tin of 15 oz cream of coconut (sweetened, for cocktails) in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes and shake it well; the solids settle and harden in the tin. A common mistake is buying unsweetened coconut cream instead: cream of coconut is the thick, very sweet kind sold for piña coladas.
5 minStep 2: Put the cream of coconut, 1 ¾ cups full-fat coconut milk, 1 ½ cups evaporated milk, 7 oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp ground nutmeg into a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute, until completely smooth and frothy.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 cup Puerto Rican white rum and blend for 10 seconds more. For alcohol-free coquito, leave out the rum and blend in 150 ml extra coconut milk and an extra ½ tsp vanilla instead. Label the bottles clearly so the rum version doesn't reach children.
Step 4: Pour into clean glass bottles, drop in 2 cinnamon sticks and seal. Chill overnight; it thickens as it gets cold.
720 minStep 5: Shake hard before pouring, as the coconut fat separates. Serve very cold in small glasses with a pinch of extra cinnamon on top. It keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks with rum, 5 days without.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does coquito take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of full-fat coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of evaporated milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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