Coquito – A Tasty Puerto Rican Tradition
When it comes to holidays, and especially Christmas, each country and family have their own dishes and drinks that have become a part of their tradition. Recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next are included in the menu over the years, and with some dishes, Christmas would just not be Christmas, without them. In many countries eggnog is a must during the festive season, and in Puerto Rico, it is Coquito.
Coquito is an alcoholic drink that is very similar to eggnog. It is made from different ingredients such as evaporated milk, condensed milk, rum, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla, eggs and coconut cream, but ingredients can be varied according to taste. The vanilla and evaporated milk is often used to make the drink sweeter and the rum can be replaced with Cognac. When in Puerto Rico over the holidays or New Year, visitors are almost guaranteed to find Coquito available at the dinner table. For those who cannot get to Puerto Rico anytime soon, but would like to taste a truly traditional drink, here are two variations of the recipe.
Ingredients for the first recipe includes twenty eight ounces of coconut milk, two cups of rum, fourteen ounces of condensed milk and four egg yolks. All the ingredients are then put into a blender and mixed together. Once the mixture is ready, it is then either thrown into small glasses or a bottle, and then put into the fridge overnight. When serving, a little nutmeg can be sprinkled over for taste and decoration.
For the second recipe, two cans of coconut milk, one can condensed milk, one can evaporated milk, a teaspoon vanilla extract, two cups rum, a tablespoon ground cinnamon and a tablespoon ground nutmeg is needed. Once again, all the ingredients are mixed together and left in the fridge overnight to chill.
Bottles of homemade Coquito do not only make a festive drink at the dinner table, but when bottled with a little decoration, it makes a wonderful gift for the holidays. In Puerto Rico, it brings tradition to family and friends, and across the world, it allows visitors to this magnificent country, to share a part of Puerto Rico with loved ones back home.
