The Best Coquito Recipe: Puerto Rico by Way of St. Croix

Closely related to Trinidad‘s Ponche de Creme and Egg Nog in the U.S., coquito is a must at Christmas time in many Latin countries. As with the Noche Buena pig roast tradition, though, we Crucians have adopted coquito as a big part of our Holiday celebrations as well.

A coquito recipe by any other name

Some methods call for boiling a few of the ingredients before blending and refrigeration. Others don’t involve any cooking at all.

Sometimes eggs are used. Other times, none. We’ve employed some boiling in producing past batches of coquito. We’ve even tried no blending… just a lot of vigorous shaking.

The point is, that everyone’s coquito recipe is a little different. Cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, fresh coconut, vanilla extract, Coco Lopez, white rum, aged rum, cinnamon sticks, egg yolks — however it’s made, the result is a holiday flavor that takes me back to St. Croix by way of Puerto Rico.

Overall, coquito simply must have a nice blend of coconut, spices, and rum. How much of each flavor to use is really according to individual taste. For instance, I have a friend who pairs a healthy amount of Cruzan Coconut Rum with regular Cruzan White to add more coconut flavor without sacrificing the potency. Pure genius, if you ask me.

Yeah, my friend is an excellent source for a unique homemade coquito. But, if I was going to make a batch myself, my best recipe would be the easiest. And that’s just what we’re sharing below.

So, raise a toast to the Holidays.

Cheers!

Coquito Recipe the Crucian Way

Closely related to Trinidad’s Ponche de Creme and Egg Nog in the U.S., coquito is a must at Christmas time in many Latin countries. As with the Noche Buena pig roast tradition, though, we Crucians have adopted coquito as a big part of our Holiday celebrations as well. This recipe uses Cruzan rum to add that Crucian flavor.