I first heard of Coquito, aka “the Puerto Rican eggnog” a few years ago via a friend’s post on Social Media.   A creamy, coconut, tropical version of traditional eggnog.  It sounded delicious and festive but I never got the opportunity to taste it until this year when a co-worker, who grew up in Puerto Rico, brought some into the office for our team’s holiday lunch.  While pouring each of us a small shot sized serving for a toast, she explained how during the Christmas season, her family would a few big batches of Coquito to keep in the fridge for celebrating when friends and extended family would stop by.  Honestly, the first sip was a revelation….it is thick and creamy with flavors of coconut, cinnamon and rum.  Basically, it tastes like melted ice cream that makes you all warm and relaxed when you sip it.  I was instantly hooked and determined to make my own.  There are a lot of recipes and variations floating around the internet with the main variation being the amount of alcohol added.  I made a batch using  co-worker’s recipe  but changed the amount of rum from 1/2 cup to 1 full cup (some recipes I saw called for 3 cups!!)

Coquito 

1 can of evaporated milk (12 oz)

1 can of condensed milk (14 oz)

1 can cream of coconut  (I found Goya at my local grocery store)

1/2 can coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 cup rum 

cinnamon to taste 

Blend all together in a blender until no lumps remain (lumps come from the coconut fat in the cream of coconut) and the pour into glass bottles.  Refrigerate.  

Tastes best cold, so refrigerate at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.  

Shake well before serving.  You can garnish with a little nutmeg or a cinnamon stick if desired but not really necessary.