Coquito is a rich, creamy Puerto Rican holiday beverage often enjoyed during Christmas. It is a perfect mixture of coconut, rum, and spices like eggnog but with a tropical twist. Traditionally served chilled in small glasses, it is great for sipping. Coquito is a festive and indulgent treat that brings a taste of the Caribbean to holiday gatherings.
Food, music, and festivities fill the holiday season in Puerto Rico.
If coconut is one of your favorite ingredients, check out my Tembleque, a silky, delicate, no-bake custard also available as a keto-friendly Tembleque version. Piña Colada is another internationally well-known Puerto Rican-created beverage that will surely be the spot. Keto-friendly polvorones: These cookies use almond and coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour and monk fruit sweetener instead of regular sugar. They are still as delicious as the original Polvorones. They are sure to satisfy any coconut cravings.
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Why this recipe works
- Sweet: I do not like my alcoholic drinks to taste like alcohol. And coquito, to me, is like a dessert drink. The sweetness of condensed milk gives the coquito a mild sweetness that is not overpowering but delectable.
- Spice: Combining cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, anise star, and cloves creates a depth of flavor. Making tea with these spices allows you to add all the flavor and none of the color. If you are a spice lover like me, check out Puerto Rican Hojaldre, Barriguitas de Vieja (Old Lady Bellies Pumpkin Fritters), Bread Pudin, or Sangria.
- Great for Gift Giving: Coquito makes a fantastic Christmas gift unless you have a friend who does not like or cannot have coconut. But get ready to make it every year—everyone who tries it always wants more. 😉! I have gifted Coquito in some capacity each year for the last six years.
Ingredient for making Coquito
These are the most essential ingredients for coquito, yielding a decent drink. Read below for variations and substitutions.
- Coconut Milk: Coconut milk is a defining ingredient in coquito, this Puerto Rican holiday drink, giving it its creamy texture and distinctive tropical flavor. Shop around for the coconut milk that works best for you.
- Condensed Milk: Condensed milk adds sweetness. There is much debate about whether to use milk-based condensed milk or coconut condensed milk. Again, this is a flavor preference. I will buy coconut condensed milk whenever possible. Coconut condensed milk is a newer product, so for this reason, the original Coquito would have used regular condensed milk. Coconut condensed milk will make your Coquito gluten—and dairy-free and vegan.
- Cream of Coconut: Cream of coconut is a sweet, thickened coconut product made from coconut milk combined with sugar and sometimes stabilizers. Its syrupy consistency makes it ideal for enhancing the coconut flavor in coquito. One famous cream of coconut is Coco Lopez, also used as the base for Piña Colada.
- Rum: Clear or white rum is an excellent choice for making a coquito; white rum tends to be less expensive. Coconut Rum would be great for this concoction. However, dark or spiced rum will do the trick if you do not have white rum, adding a slightly spiced flavor. Here is a guide to different types of rums and how to use them.
- Spice Tea: Spice tea is literally what it sounds like. It's steeped spices in hot water. The beauty of the tea is that you can make it ahead and refine it to your liking, allowing you to make it as flavorful as you like. This helps you know how intense flavors are going into your coquito. However, cinnamon is the most essential spice when making a coquito.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions
- Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is one of the original ingredients for this coconut rum cocktail. I do not use it because I want my coquito to have a strong coconut flavor but do try it so that you can taste the differences.
- Coconut Cream: Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk because it is produced using a ratio of four parts shredded coconut and one part water. Bridget from Bake at 350 details the differences between coconut milk, cream, and cream of coconut.
- Ground Spices: Many people use ground spices instead of spice tea. The beauty of ground spices is that many spice blends are available at stores, like pumpkin spice, which could be used to flavor your coquito. But a simple combination of cinnamon and nutmeg will do the trick.
- Other Flavors: Coconut is the original flavor; however, you will find different flavors around the island, including pistachio, strawberry, nutella, pumpkin, and chocolate.
How to make Puerto Rican Coquito
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make Puerto Rican Coquito.
Depending on how many bottles you plan to make and gift, you can easily blend this Coquito recipe in a countertop blender or with an immersion blender and a large pot.
- To make the spice tea, add water and the desired spices to a small saucepot. Let the water boil for about five minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to cool completely.
- Add cooled spice tea to a blender cup or pitcher.
- Add coconut milk.
- Add condensed milk.
- Add cream of coconut. You may also add a splash of Almond or Vanilla extract.
- Add Rum.
- Blend until everything is well incorporated.
Once chilled, serve over ice cubes in a highball and garnish with cinnamon or sticks. Consider running the rim on Fluff or extra-thick whipping cream, followed by toasted coconut flakes and a Maraschino Cherry. Yummy! 🍹🥥🤤
Expert Tips
- Learn the basics: Once you learn the essential ingredients for any recipe, you can make it your own. For example, you can only use coconut products instead of evaporated or condensed milk.
- Ratios: How much rum do you like in your coquito? One cup of rum is a good start, especially if you don't want the rum to overpower the drink. You can make your coquito as strong as you would like. Even without rum, the combination of spices and milk is exceptionally delicious.
- Plan: If you are having a gathering, make your coquito the night before. Allow the flavors to marinate and chill well before serving.
- When in doubt, double up: This recipe is easy to make, share, and drink. If you are making this recipe for a gathering, make more than you think you need. Believe me. It'll disappear before you know it. Don't tell anyone if there are any leftovers because someone will want to take some home with them.
Coquito FAQs
NO. Coquito is not eggnog, and it is not related to eggnog. There are no eggs in the coquito either. You will continuously see Puerto Rican Eggnog describing coquito to create a better understanding of the two drinks, like a point of reference. Those who know eggnog will recognize that, just like eggnog, coquito is explicitly crafted for holiday celebrations at a particular time of year.
All ingredients for Coquito are naturally gluten-free, but Coquito is not dairy-free. However, it can be made dairy-free by only using coconut-based milk. Condensed Coconut Milk is readily available in many markets, allowing you to make this recipe dairy-free and vegan.
Coquito can last between 3-5 months. However, I have never had any that lasted that long.
If you are not a rum drinker and do not want to buy a bottle of rum, consider purchasing a flask. A flask holds only a pint or 16 ounces, allowing you to make this recipe twice or at least double it.
Absolutely!! Just mark the bottle differently so those drinking it will not accidentally get a dose of rum. Coquito in itself is delicious, even without the rum. As a child, our neighbor would gift my mom a "virgin coquito" because she did not drink but liked the flavor.
More Puerto Rican Christmas Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Puerto Rican Coquito Recipe
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 6 allspice
- 4 anise stars
- 6 cloves
- 2 can coconut milk
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 can cream of coconut
- 1 cup rum
- almond or vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Add water and the desired spices to a small saucepot to make the spice tea. Let the water boil for about five minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to cool completely.1 cup water, 2 sticks cinnamon, 1 whole nutmeg, 6 allspice, 4 anise stars, 6 cloves
- Add cooled spice tea to Blender cup or Pitcher.
- Add coconut milk.2 can coconut milk
- Add condensed milk.1 can condensed milk
- Add cream of coconut. You may also add a splash of Almond or Vanilla extract.1 can cream of coconut
- Add Rum.1 cup rum
- Blend until everything is well incorporated.
- Once chilled, serve over ice cubes in a highball and garnish with a dusting of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick. Consider running the rim on Fluff or extra-thick whipping cream, followed by toasted coconut flakes.
Notes
- Learn the basics: Once you learn the basic ingredients for any recipe, you can make it your own. For example, you can use only coconut products, instead of evaporated or condensed milk.
- Ratios: How much rum do you like in your coquito? One cup of rum is a good start, especially if we have never had a drink. You can make your coquito as strong as you would like. Even without rum, the combination of spices and milk is exceptionally delicious.
- Plan: If you are having a gathering, make your coquito the night before. Allow the flavors to marinate and chill well before serving.
- When in doubt, double up: This recipe is easy to make, share, and drink. If you are making this recipe for a gathering, make more than you think you need. Believe me. It'll disappear before you know it. Don't tell anyone if there are any leftovers because someone will want to take some home with them.
