Coquito Recipe

There are different versions of this drink throughout Latin America. I invited Daniella Senior, co-owner of Colada Shop & Serenata, to compare Dominican Ponche Crema to Coquito.

Thanks again to The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture for your support!

Ingredients

• 12 oz can of Evaporated Milk
• 1 inch of fresh ginger
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 4-5 whole cloves
• 1-2 star anise pods (optional)
• 13.5 oz can of Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 14 oz can of Sweet Condensed Milk
• 15 oz can of cream of coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups of rum.

You can use Ron del Barrilito, Havana Club, Flor de Caña, Don Q, etc. If you don’t consume alcohol, you can skip this ingredient. Tip: start with 3/4 cup if you don’t like a strong alcohol taste. ground cinnamon for garnish

Directions

1. Thinly slice the fresh ginger.
2. In a small saucepan, pour the entire contents of the evaporated milk. Add ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a quick boil and then simmer for 3 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature with the spices still inside.
3. Pour the evaporated milk mixture through a fine sieve. Set the cinnamon sticks aside.
4. Mix evaporated milk and the rest of the ingredients in the blender. Blend at medium speed until well blended.
5. Pour into a glass bottle (a great way to repurpose your rum bottles) and toss a cinnamon stick in the bottle to add more spice flavor.
6. Let the mixture chill, ideally overnight, for the flavors to come together. Serve cold with a sprinkle of cinnamon. ¡Salud!