Coquito: a Bespoke Cocktail
Coquito: a Bespoke Cocktail
The iconic Puerto Rican cocktail starts with a strong base
Coquito season is how you tell it’s Christmas time in the tropics.
People have been side-hustling their coquito all over el internet en los local Facebook groups since before Sansgiving
Some people will use this coconut base as a vehicle for their rum. Rum is great in a lot of different drinks, but for me it’s about balance. And when the ratio is 99% rum and 1% coconut, I ain’t about it.
The key is that coconut base, which is just a mixture of ingredients all found in the baking aisle. You can make this at home within the hour.
For the full back story on how I came to create this specific recipe, and what coquito even is, you can check out this post originally written during those dark times of 2020.
The super sweet coconut mixture does benefit from the alcohol to cut through the cloying sweetness. But I add my rum last so that I can do it to taste. Making it sort of a bespoke rum cocktail, up to the individual tippler.
Ingredients for the Coconut Base
This recipe makes about 64 oz of liquid. First you need 1 can each of:
coconut cream (or cream of coconut, if you can find it)
coconut milk
evaporated milk
(sweetened) condensed milk
The spices:
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1.25 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
a dash of freshly ground nutmeg
The secret ingredient:
2 oz raisins
enough rum to cover the raisins, up to one cup
Here’s where my base is a little different than anything else I’ve had. I add drunken raisins to it. The will change the color slightly but the flavor payoff is so worth it!
Making Your Coquito Base
In a small pot soak your raisins in just enough rum to cover. Bring to a low boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Let cool, then strain the raisins, saving the rum.
Pour all of the canned ingredients into a blender, along with the cinnamon, vanilla, freshly ground nutmeg, and drained raisins.
Blend until the raisins are fully incorporated and no raisin bits remain.
Pour into a pitcher or other large glass container and chill for at least 1 hour. This is the most important part of the whole process. Coquito is served cold.
Once it’s all good and chilled, you’re going to take that base and add as much rum as you think it needs in order to make you happy. That might look like 99% rum and 1% base.🙃
For me, it’s about 1:4 rum to base ratio. So for a single cup of coquito, I’d add a double shot of rum. And I’d start with that rum you let the raisins simmer in.
Choosing Rum for Coquito
Does it matter what kind of rum you use in coquito? Not really, with two notable exceptions.
People have very strong opinions about this. Some say it has to be THIS brand or THAT brand. 🥱🥱🥱
I say use whatever you’ve got—unless it’s spiced rum or really expensive sipping rum.
Spiced rum will impact the vanilla and cinnamon you’ve already added to the base, so this recipe might not work for that.
Sipping rum, on the other hand, is not the kind of rum meant for mixing. That’s its own treat, no coconut necessary.
When I tested the recipe, I used Bacardí Gold because that’s what I had. But if all you have is silver, use that! Sip and enjoy.
Have you had coquito before? Tell me how you like yours in the comments.