Coquito, the Puerto Rican version of egg nog

Many of our holiday traditions are based around food and drinks. One of my favorites is Coquito. Coquito is a popular Christmas beverage in Puerto Rico.  Coquito, which literally means small coconut, is considered the Caribbean version of American eggnog.  It has similarities to American eggnog, but the use of creme de coco or coconut milk gives it a unique island flavor.

My mother never made homemade coquito that I can remember.  She had to depend on aunts, cousins, and friends to send her the heady concoction from New York, Florida, and even as far way as Puerto Rico.  These coveted bottles were only served on "Nochebuena", Christmas Eve; and only to those fortunate enough to be invited to my mom's house for her special Puerto Rican Nochebuena - Christmas Eve dinner. 

The bottles were any cast off bottles of wine, vinegar, or other alcohol, that have been washed and sanitized.  These bottles would come with all types of decorations hand painted on them.  Often they would have poinstettia's, or the Puerto Rican flag, a coqui which is the islands native tree frog that sings "coqui" instead of a ribbit.

Although the tradition in Puerto Rico is to make Coquito to serve to people who come and bring a parranda. The “parrandas”or “asaltos navideños” especially on Christmas Eve and “Los Tres Reyes."  Las Parrandas” are a unique tradition where a group of friends or family known as the “trulla,” goes unannounced over a neighbor’s house very late at night to sing traditional Puerto Rican Christmas carols composed of six–syllable verse lines. The songs they sing are called “aguinaldos” or gifts. The “trulla” or carolers continue until they are invited inside the home to share in delicious Christmas treats like marzipan, papaya sweets, rice with coconut, and Coquito.  After a while, the “trulla” has even more people in the party and moves on to another block or another home where they eat and party some more. This keeps on repeating until the early hours of the next day.  The “asaltos navideños” remain a tradition of Christmas in Puerto Rico but to a lesser degree, and it is definitely more common in Puerto Rico than among Puerto Ricans in the U.S.

Although we do not go on any parrandas or receive any parrandas at our home in California, my family started a tradition of making Coquito for Christmas.  We make it and hand out small bottles to our friends.  it has now become a reuested item for our friend's holiday celebrations.

8 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1 can coconut milk

1 can cocnut cream

2 cans evaporated milk

2 cans condensed milk

fresh grated coconut (coco rallado)

1 liter white Puerto Rican Rum (Bacardi)

cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt

In a bowl add egg yolks, sugar, milk, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and mix well. Add evaporated and condensed milks, rum, and coconut cream and coconut milk.  Add grated coconut and mix well.  You may mix all of the ingredients in a blender. Pour coquito into clean bottles with sealable tops and add the cinnamon sticks to each bottle. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Coquito must be kept refrigerated until served. Serve as a cocktail in a shot glass.