It’s Christmas Eve! And yes, I’m still in the mood for eggnog. Good thing I still have some rum, because I’m making more eggnog. But this is no ordinary eggnog, this is Coquito, also known as Puerto Rican eggnog. This version doesn’t actually have any eggs in it, but it is packed with coconut, a few types of milk, and, of course, dark rum. I’m always down to try anything with coconut, so I am ready to get cooking!
This thick and creamy Coquito recipe is a Puerto Rican tradition that is loaded with coconut, rum and cinnamon for an extra thick and creamy coconut eggnog!
The Ingredients
I’ve already established that the most important ingredient is dark rum, and I chose Bacardi Black since it’s made in Puerto Rico. While I was at the liquor store, I picked up a can of Coco Lopez. It’s magical on its own, so I have a good feeling about this recipe!
The rest of the ingredients were either in my pantry or easily found at my regular grocery store. I even found some grated coconut and added it even though it’s optional. More coconut is never a bad thing!
The Process
Hello, easy to make! Coquito is very simple, involves very few tools, and not a lot of effort. Here’s how my time was spent:
- 2 minutes to mix the rum, cinnamon sticks, and raisins
- 1 hour to soak the above
- 4 minutes to blend the remaining ingredients
- 4 hours to chill (minimum)
- 5 hours 6 minutes total
The most important thing to have is a large pitcher or another container with a lid. This recipe says it makes 56 ounces of liquid. That’s 1.75 quarts or just about 1/2 a gallon. I used a glass pitcher I have and covered it with Press ‘N Seal since the cork lid wasn’t airtight.
The first step is to soak the raisins and cinnamon sticks in the dark rum for an hour. It sounds unimportant, but it flavors the rum and the raisins will soften and puff up. You’ll get a few in each glass, they are so tasty (and boozy)!
After that, just mix up the rest of the ingredients in a blender, combine with the rum, and either shake the container or give everything a good stir to blend. Then put the pitcher in the refrigerator and let everything chill. I left it overnight to be sure.
The next day was tasting time, and I was so excited! You know how I feel about coconut, so I had to rim the glasses. I tried using water, but not much of the coconut stuck to it. Then I thought about trying honey, and that really did the trick! You can see some of the golden color in the photo, but I was okay with that.
A Note About the Photo of This Recipe
I wanted to make the photo of this recipe Christmasy, but I’m a little short on props. I’m a minimalist (in my head!) and that translates into my photos. I try not to make them too busy, but this one was special.
I don’t have a lot of props, and almost none of them are seasonal. Then I thought of a very special box I have stored in my garage. It’s my family’s Christmas ornaments from when I was a child. We added to the collection over the years with ornaments I made and ornaments that were gifted to us. I chose a few for the background of the main photo, and it has turned out to be a favorite. I hope you like it too.
