Authentic Coquito is a traditional Christmas drink popular amongst Puerto Ricans with simple ingredients like coconut milk, warm spices, and rum. It is a must for any Puerto Rican holiday celebration and one that excites even non-Puerto Ricans.
This recipe was originally published in October 2018. This update includes a quick video and a link to my YouTube video!
What Is Coquito?
Coquito originated in Puerto Rico, though many other Caribbean islands serve a version of it. Haiti has cremas, Trinidad and Tobago has Coconut Ponche De Creme, and Jamaica has coconut rum punch. Coquito is popular in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, with many different versions of the recipe. Mine is the best, though.
Coquito means “little coconut” in Spanish and is a holiday drink typically served from Thanksgiving through Three Kings Day (Dia de los Reyes) in Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean. Though it’s most often served during the holiday season, you can serve it any time of the year. The original coquito recipe was an alcoholic beverage made with fresh coconut milk and pitorro (cane sugar moonshine). Sugar cane smoothed out the burn from the pitorro.
Right around Halloween, Puerto Ricans begin brewing a big batch of coquito to give it time to cure for their holiday parties. This coconut-based drink, along with many of our traditional foods, are staples at each family gathering. Christmas time, especially, is when you’ll see us enjoying a glass of cold coquito (maybe two or three).
Does It Contain Eggs?
While some people say this is a “Puerto Rican eggnog,” that’s inaccurate since authentic Puerto Rican coquito doesn’t contain eggs. You can turn this into a coconut eggnog with rum, but an authentic coquito is not made with eggs. Adding eggs to the coquito in Puerto Rico turns it into ponche. That said, each family has their own recipe, which may or may not contain eggs.
What Ingredients Are In Coquito?
The main ingredients in this coquito recipe are full-fat coconut milk, a spice tea, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, light rum, gold or dark rum, spiced rum, pure vanilla extract (optional), ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
The best way to make coquito is with freshly squeezed coconut milk because it gives it a smoother and less viscous taste than one made with a ton of canned milk. That said, if you don’t have the time or desire to make coconut milk at home, you can use evaporated coconut milk from the can.
Additionally, there are a few different varieties to make this an alcohol-free coquito, a vegan version, or to turn it into a dairy-free coquito recipe.
What’s The Purpose Of The Spice Tea?
Flavoring the coquito with a warm spice tea adds extra flavor while maintaining an appealing color. Adding the same amount of spices in their ground forms causes the drink to become murky and forms a sludge at the bottom of the glass bottle.
Add coconut water, one large cinnamon stick (or 3 small sticks), star anise, whole cloves, allspice berries, and a split vanilla bean to a pot. You can omit the vanilla bean if you don’t have one and add vanilla extract to the blender with the rums later.
You can also use a box of coconut water if you don’t have fresh, or you can replace it with plain water.
Bring the water to a boil over high heat and allow it to boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the spices to steep in the hot water for 10-15 minutes.
After 10 minutes of steeping, strain the tea into a blender and add the cream of coconut.
PRO TIP: if you plan to add eggs to your coquito, temper them with the warm tea but whisking 1/4 cup of the tea into the beaten eggs. Return the eggs to the saucepan and heat them on low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Then, add this mixture to the cream of coconut.
It’s helpful if the spice tea is still warm so it can melt the fat cap that usually tops the cream of coconut. If your tea feels cool to the touch, heat it again until it steams, then add it to the blender or a bowl with the cream of coconut. Gradually whisk in the warm tea into the egg yolks, if you’re adding them, now, as well. Press the paste from the vanilla bean into the tea in the blender after straining the spice tea into the blender.
I prefer to use Coco Lopez cream of coconut because it has a prominent, less tinny coconut flavor. Cream of coconut is not the same as a can of coconut cream. The latter contains no sugar, whereas the cream of coconut is sweetened, so don’t make the mistake of using that.
How Do I Make Coquito?
Add the coconut milk, condensed milk, all three rums, ground cinnamon, and the nutmeg to the blender with the spice tea and cream of coconut. You can add canned coconut milk to the blender and the rest of the ingredients if you want a richer, creamier-tasting coquito.
Blend the ingredients for 1 minute on medium-low speed until smooth.
How Do I Make This Dairy-Free?
You can make dairy-free or vegan coquito by replacing the sweetened condensed milk with condensed coconut milk. You can use soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk if you decide to replace the canned coconut milk in this recipe with evaporated milk. I would stick with using the coconut milk since that makes it dairy-free (and vegan) without a bunch of replacements.
Don’t add eggs if you want to make this a vegan coquito recipe.
Do I Have To Use Three Different Rums?
You can replace the gold and spiced rum in this recipe with light rum if you prefer to keep it simple. I prefer the complex flavors the darker rums add to the coquito, so I always use them.
You can also make a more potent version by using 151. This type of rum is an over-proofed spirit and will give it more kick. Coquito should be made with Puerto Rican rum or, at the very least, a Caribbean rum. Palo Viejo, Don Q, Ron del Barrilito, or Bacardí, which is Cuban-born, are rums made in Puerto Rico.
Can I Make This Non-Alcoholic?
To make virgin coquito, replace the rums with more coconut milk or half-coconut milk and half-coconut water (or regular water) or more spice tea. Virgin coquito has a shorter shelf-life because there’s no alcohol to ward off bacteria. You’ll have to consume the virgin drink within 10 days of making it. I recommend storing it in the refrigerator instead of in the refrigerator door to extend its life, as well. The constant fluctuations from opening and closing the doors to the fridge, speed up spoilage.
Why Does My Coquito Have Foam and/or Chunks?
The chunks (or lumps) in the coquito are from coconut fat in the cream of coconut. You see that layer of fat when you open up some cans of cream of coconut. Shaking the can of cream of coconut and warming it with the spice tea will reduce the chunkiness.
The foam results from the additives in the canned milk, and the fat from the coconut milk gets excited. You can strain the coquito into the bottles if the foam or chunks bother you.
How Do I Store It?
The best thing about this recipe is that it fills 3 bottles. I store mine in 750-milliliter wine bottles that I buy from a local home brewing supply store or online. Using a decorative, airtight glass bottle is a fun way to gift this coquito to your friends and family, too. Most people couldn’t care less about decorative bottles but more about what’s in them.
Sanitize the bottles by pouring in hot water and leaving them for 10 minutes.
I add two or three cinnamon sticks to my bottles because cinnamon is a prominent flavor in coquito. Pour the hot water from the bottles, then add two or three cinnamon sticks. You can omit them if you don’t keep cinnamon sticks on hand.
Put a fine-mesh sieve lined with a clean tea towel on a funnel. Straining the coquito through the towel and sieve before curing it reduces clumping in it later.
Carefully pour the liquid through the strainer and into the bottles using the funnel. Leave a 1-inch headspace at the top of each bottle of coquito so you can shake the spices back into it later.
Refrigerate and let the coquito chill for at least forty-eight hours to allow the flavors to blend and the alcohol flavor to mellow out. I wouldn’t drink coquito the same day you make it, though. It’s always better the next day or a couple of days later.
How Do I Serve Coquito?
To serve coquito, remove the bottle from the refrigerator and give it a good shake to reincorporate the spices. When using fresh coconut milk, a small amount of separation occurs because it doesn’t contain the stabilizers as canned coconut milk. Shaking sets everything back in place.
You can serve coquito over ice, but I don’t because it waters down the drink, and I’m trying to get as much of that flavor as possible.
Serve the coquito in old-fashioned glasses with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or grated from cinnamon sticks. To impress coconut lovers, dip the rim of your cocktail glass in a small amount of maple syrup, followed by a dip in coconut flakes to create a coconut rim.
We don’t do all that in our family. The best part is what comes out of the glass, not what it looks like.
How Long Does Coquito Last?
You can store coquito made with alcohol in the fridge for up to 1 year, even with the addition of eggs. The longer the coquito cures, the smoother and more profound its flavor is, as with traditional eggnog.
Coquito made without alcohol should be consumed within a week, or 7 days, of mixing it.
Can I Freeze Coquito?
Coquito that contains alcohol can be frozen for more than one year in a freezer-safe bottle or airtight container. The alcohol in the drink will keep it from freezing solid, and the consistency will be more like a milkshake.
Virgin coquito will freeze solid, so store it in a freezer-safe container for up to one year.
Thaw frozen coquito in the fridge when you’re ready to enjoy it, and don’t forget to shake it well to mix it evenly.
You should try this Coquito Frozen Custard recipe if you’re into frozen coquito. It’s like a homemade coconut ice cream, only better.
What Other Ways Can I Enjoy This Recipe?
I’m the queen of coquito recipes. Here are some other recipes to use it in:
- Coquito Tres Leches is a Puerto Rican version of one of Latin America’s traditional dishes.
- This Coquito Cheesecake has a cult following.
- Coconut-Rum Cream Pie has the flavors you know and love from the cocktail.
Here is a post with all my Coquito Recipes.
With its tropical element of coconut, generous pours of rum, and warm spices, my Authentic Coquito recipe is one I’m proud to share with you and your family this time of year. Christmas Eve isn’t the same without this classic Puerto Rican drink, and it’s one of the easiest recipes you’ll make this holiday season. Remember to share this authentic, original recipe and share it with your friends and family this holiday season. Pin this recipe to find it easily for your Christmas batch, too!
Authentic Puerto Rican Coquito
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- Large capacity blender
- 3 750-milliliter bottles (the third bottle won't be filled completely)
Ingredients
- 6 sticks cinnamon (optional, used for bottling)
For the Spiced Tea (optional)- Can Be Made 1 Week Ahead
- 1 cup coconut water or filtered water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 1 vanilla bean split
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries optional
For the Coquito
- spice tea
- 15 ounce can cream of coconut
- 4 cups coconut milk or 2 13.5-ounce cans of coconut milk
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup white rum
- 3/4 cup gold rum
- 3/4 cup spiced Rum
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
- 13.5 ounce can canned coconut milk optional for more coconut flavor
Optional Eggnog Version
- 3 large egg yolks beaten until runny
Instructions
Sanitize Your Bottles
- Fill the bottles with very hot water and allow them to sterilize for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, discard the hot water from the bottles, then add two or three cinnamon sticks to the bottles. Set aside while you prepare the recipe.
Make the Spice Tea
- Add the coconut water, cinnamon sticks, star anise, split vanilla bean, cloves, and allspice berries to a 2-quart pot. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and allow it to boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the spices to steep in the hot water for 10-15 minutes.
*Instructions for Adding Eggs to Coquito* (optional)
- Add the beaten egg yolks to a small bowl.Temper the yolks by pouring a 1/4 cup of the hot spiced tea into them in a slow trickle while whisking constantly.
- Return the eggs to the saucepan in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly and heat them on low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add this mixture to the cream of coconut and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Blend the Coquito
- After 10 minutes of steeping, strain the tea into a blender and add the cream of coconut. Gradually whisk in the warm tea and tempered egg into the mixture, if you're adding them.If your tea feels cool to the touch, heat it again until it steams, then add it to the blender or a bowl with the cream of coconut. Press the paste from the vanilla bean into the tea in the blender after straining the spice tea into the blender.
- Add the coconut milk, condensed milk, all three rums, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract (which is optional) to the blender with the spice tea and cream of coconut. *You can add canned coconut milk to the blender and the rest of the ingredients if you want a richer, creamier-tasting coquito. Blend the ingredients for 1 minute on medium-low speed until smooth.
Bottle and Cure the Coquito
- Put a fine-mesh sieve lined with a clean tea towel on a funnel. Carefully pour the liquid through the strainer and into the bottles using the funnel and leaving a 1-inch headspace at the top of each bottle of coquito so you can shake the spices back into it later.
- Refrigerate and let the coquito chill for at least forty-eight hours to allow the flavors to blend and the alcohol flavor to mellow out.
Garnish and Enjoy Responsibly
- To serve coquito, remove the bottle from the refrigerator and give it a good shake to reincorporate the spices. Serve the coquito in old-fashioned glasses with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or grated from cinnamon sticks.
Notes
-
Tea-less Coquito:
Replace the whole spices with the following:
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch of ground allspice
Add these spices to the coquito omitting the additional ground cinnamon and nutmeg from the recipe.
- For Virgin Coquito:
- To make virgin coquito, replace the rums with more coconut milk or half-coconut milk and half-coconut water (or regular water)or more spice tea.
- Use a box of coconut water if you don't have fresh, or you can replace it with plain water.
- You can omit the vanilla bean if you don't have one and add the optional vanilla extract to the blender with the rums later.
- You can replace the gold and spiced rum in this recipe with light rum if you prefer to keep it simple.
- Make a more potent version by using 151. This type of rum is an over-proofed spirit and will give it more kick.
- Palo Viejo, Don Q, Ron del Barrilito, or Bacardí, which is Cuban-born, are rums made in Puerto Rico.
- You can make dairy-free or vegan coquito by replacing the sweetened condensed milk with condensed coconut milk.
- Use soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk if you decide to replace the optional canned coconut milk in this recipe with evaporated milk.
- Don't add eggs if you want to make this a vegan coquito recipe.
- Omit the cinnamon sticks if you don't keep them on hand.
- It's helpful if the spice tea is still warm so it can melt the fat cap that usually tops the cream of coconut.
- Virgin coquito has a shorter shelf-life because there's no alcohol to ward off bacteria. You'll have to consume the virgin drink within 10 days of making it.
- The chunks (or lumps) in the coquito are from coconut fat in the cream of coconut. Shaking the can of cream of coconut and warming it with the spice tea will reduce the chunkiness.
- Cream of coconut is not the same as a can of coconut cream. The latter contains no sugar, whereas the cream of coconut is sweetened.
- When using fresh coconut milk, a small amount of separation occurs because it doesn't contain the stabilizers as canned coconut milk.
- You can serve coquito over ice, but it waters down the drink.
- To impress coconut lovers, dip the rim of your cocktail glass in a small amount of maple syrup, followed by a dip in coconut flakes to create a coconut rim.
- You can store coquito made with alcohol in the fridge for up to 1 year, even with the addition of eggs. The longer the coquito cures, the smoother and more profound its flavor is, as with traditional eggnog.
- Coquito made without alcohol should be consumed within a week, or 7 days, of mixing it.
- Coquito that contains alcohol can be frozen for more than one year in a freezer-safe bottle or airtight container. The consistency will be more like a milkshake instead of freezing solid.
- Virgin coquito freezes solid, so store it in a freezer-safe container for up to one year.
- Thaw frozen coquito in the fridge when you're ready to enjoy it, shaking it well to mix it evenly.
What is the serving size? 6oz?
Hi Jennifer, yes, 4-6 ounces for normal people. Four if you like to add ice to it. We’re abnormal over here, so we usually drink servings that are closer to 10 ounces. This is a safe space, right? LOL!
I’m from Venezuela, and we have a similar drink, but without coconut. As delicious as it is, nothing can beat the coconut flavor in Coquito. I absolutely love it!
I wanted to ask: Is the spice tea absolutely necessary to make Coquito, or will adding the spices directly (as you suggested in the recipe workaround) make it just as good? Have you tried both methods? If so, what’s the difference between them, especially in terms of taste? THANK YOU!
Hi Angela! I’d love to hear more about that Venezuelan drink you’re talking about. No, the tea isn’t crucial to the success of the coquito, but it does decrease the amount of “sludge” at the bottom of the bottles, which means less shaking to reincorporate everything before serving. That’s the primary reason I recommend using it. It’s a really simple tea to make and you can make it days ahead if you want to decrease the amount of work on the day of. I hope this helps.
I don’t drink alcohol and I am pretty sure this scrumptious drink would lose something without the rum flavor. Have ou had any experience with the new non— alcoholic rims?
I meannnn, don’t sleep on the virgin coquito. It’s REALLY good with or without rum, but to answer your question, no, I haven’t tried it with non-alcoholic rums. I have tried Ritual’s dark rum and found it to be a decent replacement so I recommend trying it with that. Let me know what you think and I’ll update the post to include it!
Most recipes call for evaporated milk as one of the “milks” – is there a reason why you don’t use evaporated milk in your recipe?
In short? Because I’m a coconut whore. LOL!!
To put it classier, I want the most coconut flavor possible and diluting it with evaporated milk never made sense to me.
A lot of people claim they add it to make the coquito creamy, but then they turn around and add ice or dilute it with water later. I just don’t see the point in using it.
Hahahaha THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE! Thank you sooooo much! And thanks for your very fast response! You don’t know how excited I am to make your recipe! I’ve finally bought all the ingredients and the glass bottles to pour it in just arrived today! Thanks for all you do – you’re amazing and very thorough in your explanations!
Another question I have is:
Since I’m not making homemade coconut milk and therefore plan on using canned coconut milk, would it be better if I used canned evaporated coconut milk (vs regular canned coconut milk) to reduce the chances of lumps forming from the additives in the canned coconut milk?
I have never found there’s much difference between using canned coconut milk and canned coconut milk that’s labeled evaporated, but it won’t hurt. You might actually need to add water to thin it a bit if you use it, but it’ll be fine.
It’s my absolute pleasure. It’s always a hit with people I’ve given the recipe to. Enjoy it!
Everyone who tries this says its the best coquito they ever had. Honesly better than my grandpas. Amazing
What a compliment! Anytime I find out that my coquito recipe is on par with an elder’s, it makes me feel so proud. Thank you for sharing that with me, Peter.
Is the homemade coconut milk the kind made with or without the tea? I assume without since the tea is used in the coquito recipe, but I don’t want to be wrong and mess up the taste lol.
Thanks in advance!
My recipe for coconut milk has its own tea, so yes, but no. LOL! If you’re making the coconut milk you can leave out the spices in my recipe. But! I tested this recipe with the coconut milk that has the tea and I think the spice level is just perfect.