I’ve always wanted to try serving eggnog on Christmas and New Year’s Eve but the inclusion of raw egg yolks in the drink scares me. So, when a fellow lawyer shared a link of the Puerto Rican coquito on Facebook, I thought I had found the best alternative.
Coquito is an alcoholic drink that comes from Puerto Rico. It is traditionally served on Christmas and New Year. The ingredients include rum, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. There are variations that include raw egg yolks but, of course, I stayed away from those for the same reason that I’ve never made eggnog.
The many variations of coquito also includes cooked and uncooked recipes. Uncooked coquito usually requires mixing the ingredients in a blender until frothy.
This coquito recipe requires heating the drink on the stovetop, then cooling and chilling it. The recipe below is for a single serving. Just multiply the amount of ingredients to serve more people. As a guide, a pinch of ground spice is roughly about 1/8 teaspoon. Use more or less to adjust the level of spiciness according to your personal preference.
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/8 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1/4 cup rum (I used Bacardi)
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In a small sauce pan, stir together the coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Heat gently, stirring, just until bubbly.
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Turn off the heat. Cool the milk and spice mixture, stir in the rum, transfer to a jar with a screw-type cap and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.
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Pour the cooled mixture into a glass. Serve the coquito chilled.
