Coquito is the estrella of the holiday Christmas party. Rum and coconut mixed together tend to encourage maximum merrymaking and holiday joy — so we’re all in. And from the amount of coquito recipes the Familia Kitchen community sends us every December, we’re pretty sure it’s a festive requirement in your homes, too. To help get the fiesta started and get us all into the holiday spirit this Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, and Tres Reyes, (and Thanksgiving for at least one of our homecooks), here are our 4 top coquito recipes from our amazing Familia Kitchen community.
What Is Coquito?
A holiday drink traditional to Puerto Rico, coquito is a frozen-blender delight made with an evolving range of ingredients that typically include coconut milk, rum, sugar, nutmeg and/or cinnamon. It’s often called the Puerto Rican eggnog, and we can’t disagree with that delicioso assessment. It’s so loved on the island and wherever Boricuas roam in the world that it’s no exaggeration to say that without coquito, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. Turn on the radio anytime in Puerto Rico during December and a good number of the aguinaldos or carols will include a shout-out to this chilled beverage packed with Christmas happiness and local rum.
As many of us get ready to start whirring our blenders to make the first of muchos batches of coquito this season, here are our fab-4 recipes from the Familia Kitchen community. From all of us at Familia Kitchen: Feliz navidad, happy Hannukah, happy New Year, feliz Dia de los Reyes! Here’s wishing you and yours the merriest of coquito-filled festivities and time together.
Every November, Melissa Aguilera-Rober hosts a coquito-making party in her home to get ready for the December gift giving. Guests are asked to bring themselves and enough ingredients to make their own coquito. Melissa supplied the blenders, and made a few batches of the frozen drink (with rum for adults, and virgin for the kids) ahead of time to fuel the attendees. ”Everyone loves it,” reports Melissa of this annual tradition. Find Melissa’s legendary recipe here.
This coquito recipe was sent in by Hillary Caviness, Familia Kitchen co-founder Kim’s sister, who now lives in L.A. As Hillary tells it: “It was 1991. I had just moved to New York City from Washington, D.C. It was cold, gray and miserable. Christmas for me meant hot sunshine everywhere and running around outside barefoot — neither of which are possible in NYC in December. I was working and wasn’t going to be able to go home to D.C. that Christmas and be with the family. Feeling homesick,I decided to make some Puerto Rican coquito.” This is the recipe she made that day and every holiday since because her friends and family beg her to. FindHillary’s recipe here!
No surprise. Coquito is one of Tita Arroyo’s favorite Christmas traditions, like every Boricua we know. ”I can remember coquito from the first memories I have of Christmas-time” in Puerto Rico, when she was growing up, she says. ”The family always made it, and there were always different batches, at Abuelo’s, at our house, etc. They always reserved some of the coquito as non-alcoholic so we kids could have some. We always loved being able to pour our own coquito and sprinkle it with cinnamon. And because we only had it during Christmastime, it was always a treat we looked forward to.” Find Tita’s recipe here!
The game-changing ingredient in this spectacular coquito recipe (which Boricua homecook Pat Murphy and his wife Michelle of Arizona swear is the key to why theirs is the best they have ever tasted) is the infusion of flavor they add by first making coquito “tea.” You may be tempted, but don’t skip this step to save time. Making the tea involves simmering water, ginger, anise, cloves, nutmeg, ground cinnamon, apple pie spice, cinnamon sticks and salt in a saucepan on the stove for 1 hour. Add the infused flavors to the blended, frozen coquito mixture and watch everyone’s face light up, the couple promises. You can see it being made step by step here in this video by one of our favorite cooking friends, Patty Morel-Ruiz of The Mad Table!
Feliz Holidays! Find More Christmas Coquito and Festive Latino Recipes at FamiliaKitchen.com
Kim Caviness grew up in Santurce, Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican mom and American dad. She loves feeding family and friends. Kim learned to cook watching her mom, Marisa, throw dinner parties on the island and later in the States. And from “El Libro”: the Puerto Rican cooking bible, Carmen Aboy Valldejuli’s Cocina Criolla.
EN 
ES
Got a question or suggestion?
Please rate this recipe and leave any tips, substitutions, or Qs you have!