Coquito is a traditional holiday cocktail from Puerto Rico and it is a creamy coconut and rum drink with a blend spices.
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If you want to make more Latin holiday recipes, check my Colombian Empanadas.
Why you will love this coquito
This recipe for coquito comes together quickly. The flavors of the coconut milk and cream give this cocktail a tropical taste that everyone loves.
Coquito is a batch cocktail. It requires coconut milk, cream, evaporated milk and condensed milk so it is better to use whole cans of these ingredients and make a big batch.
The best thing about making coquito in a big batch is that you can bottle it and shared it with friends, coquito makes a perfect holiday gift!
Ingredients
- Coconut cream: Coco Lopez is the most commonly used. You can find it in any big grocery store by the cocktail mixer ingredients. I like to use the can version.
- Coconut milk: Full fat coconut milk in a can is best.
- Evaporated milk: I used diary evaporated milk but I also noticed there is coconut evaporated milk that can be used here and make this a vegan coquito.
- Condensed milk: You can use diary or diary-free condensed milk if you want a vegan version.
- Spiced tea: Use cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and star anise. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg and vanilla extract. An alternative to the spiced tea is using ground cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
- Rum: You can use a light or dark rum in this recipe but I personally prefer light rum. I used Malibu because it has a coconut flavor that amplifies the coquito taste notes. Check the video I made in partnership with Malibu making this cocktail.
Serving suggestions
There is a big debate about how to serve coquito.
This cocktail needs to be chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hours (best overnight) before serving.
When it comes to serving coquito, purist coquito lovers advice to serve with no ice, just chilled.
It is best to serve coquito with no ice to maintain the flavor and creamy texture of the cocktail.
If you are looking to bottle the coquito for gifting, these bottles are perfect for individual servings.
I used a Dymo vintage label maker to add to the glass bottles and tied a cinnamon stick with a rosemary spring to give them a festive look.
Expert tips
The traditional coquito includes a spiced tea blend of star anise, cinnamon and cloves.
You can also use the ground spices to make a quicker version of this although the ground star anise is a bit harder to find in the grocery stores.
Allow the coquito plenty of time to chill as it is best served with no ice.
This cocktail can be made non-alcoholic by substituting the rum with ½ teaspoon of rum extract flavoring.
Storage instructions
This cocktail keeps really well in the fridge for up to 1 week stored in mason jar with a lid.
Shake vigorously before serving.
Coquito
Ingredients
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 3 Cloves
- 2 Star anise
- 1.5 cups Coconut rum
- 12 ounces Coconut milk Full fat. 1 can
- 13.5 ounces Cream of coconut Coco Lopez brand
- 12 ounces Condensed milk 1 can
- 12 ounces Evaporated milk 1 can
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Ground nutmeg and cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan add 2 cups of water, cinnamon, cloves and star anise and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Cook for about 10 minutes and reduce to about ¼ cup of liquid. It should be aromatic and dark in color.
- In a blender add the coconut rum, coconut milk, cream of coconut, evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla extract and the ¼ cup of tea.
- Mix until well combined and add to a glass jar and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg and ground cinnamon
Mia
Our family makes these every holiday. It’s a tradition in our household. So good!