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Coquito is a Puerto Rican rum and milk punch (similar to eggnog but different) that is made around the holidays. This coquito recipe is flavorful, rich and perfectly spiced. Serve it for a holiday party or put it in cute jars and gift it to your friends! If you’re craving the same flavors in a cake, make my coquito cake!
When the holidays hit, I go into stealth mode when it comes to making drinks. I crave things like iced pumpkin spice lattes, gingerbread lattes, horchata coffee and of course, coquito. This is a peak holiday drink!
What is Coquito
Coquito is a Puerto Rican rum and milk punch that is typically served around the holidays and Christmas. It gets a lot of comparisons to eggnog or horchata and I can see how it can be similar but I think it’s dramatically better! Lol.
I love the coconut flavors, the Puerto Rican rum and the flavorful nutmeg and cinnamon. It can be served chilled and neat (no ice) or with a handful of ice (my preferred way). It’s up to you!
Ingredients for Coquito
- Coconut cream – This is one of, if not, the most important ingredient. It cannot be skipped or substituted! It’s divine and has a very concentrated coconut, tropical flavor.
- Sweetened condensed milk – All of the sugar in the drink comes from this the condensed milk. It gives a great thickness and sweetness.
- Cinnamon sticks – This gives the flavor of cinnamon without any texture that ground cinnamon would give the drink.
- Coconut milk – I like to use light coconut milk for this. It’s thinner in texture than regular coconut milk which I prefer.
- Evaporated milk – I love evaporated milk. It has a very concentrated milk flavor that is perfect for this drink.
See recipe card for more detailed list of ingredients.
How to Make Coquito
- Combine the water, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer and then immediately turn the heat off. Cover the pot and let it steep for about 10 minutes. This is what we’re going to use to impart that delicious spice and cinnamon flavor into the drink.
- After it’s done steeping, remove the cinnamon sticks and discard them.
- Pour the steeped/flavored water into a blender and then add in the cans of coconut milk, cream of coconut, evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla and rum. If needed, you may need to do this in batches depending on how big your blender is.
- Blend it up until combined. Give it a taste and adjust the rum to your liking.
- And then pour it into your pitchers. Transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. It will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Coquito Tips
Smooth coquito – It’s not uncommon for coconut fat to solidify toward the top of the pitcher. You can just whisk it it or scoop it out and discard it. It’s because the fat from the coconut is solifidying as it chills. If you don’t like that, feel free to add it to a blender and pulse until it’s smooth again.
Tips for Coquito
- I love this recipe with Puerto Rican white rum. That I believe is traditional. But a lot of people also add brandy or they add dark rum. You’re welcome to do this too. Simply add half of the amount of rum and substitute the second half with brandy.
- This makes a great gift to neighbors or friends. You can tie a ribbon around the bottle and boom! A present.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally it’s always made with alcohol but a lot of people don’t drink for their own personal reasons, so I say absolutely leave it out!
When stored in the fridge, coquito lasts from about 3-5 days.
Egg nog is a custard made with milk, heavy cream and gently cooked eggs. Then the rum and extras are added. Coquito has no egg. It’s not a custard drink. It’s simply different milks and coconut mixed together.
More Cozy Christmas Recipes
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To Make the Coquito:
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In a saucepan, set over medium heat, add the water, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Bring to a rapid simmer. And then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let it steep for 10 minutes. During this time, the water will become a delicious cinnamon and nutmeg flavored water. When it’s done steeping, remove the cinnamon stick and discard.
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Note: If your blender isn’t big enough, you may need to do this in batches.
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Pour the cinnamon/flavored water into a blender, along with the coconut milk, cream of coconut, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and rum. Blend it up until very smooth, about 15 to 30 seconds. Give the coquito a taste and adjust the rum to taste. Some may say I’m soft for this little amount of rum so feel free to add more if you like!
- I love this recipe with Puerto Rican white rum. That I believe is traditional. But a lot of people also add brandy. You’re welcome to do this too. Simply add half of the amount of rum and substitute the second half with brandy.
- I’ve found that this recipe stays pretty smooth but some coconut fat might solidify toward the top of the pitcher as it chills. You can just whisk it in or scoop it out and discard it. It’s because the fat from the coconut is solidifying. If this happens to you, I would pop it in the blender right before serving. That should dissolve any bits that might’ve solidified.
Serving: 4g | Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: -25g | Sodium: 2mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 18g | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
