While there are countless ways to celebrate the season, there seems to be a general consensus that sweetened milk, enriched by egg yolks, and spiked with spirit, preferably bottled, is a good idea.
Eggnog may have originated in England, but Mexican convents have perfected it as rompope, Cubans have their own sugary version called crema de vie, and Puerto Ricans took the usual blend and infused it with coconut to make coquitos. Though simple enough to make with canned or creamed coconut, there’s a unique satisfaction to cracking open your own coconut, grating the meat, blending in the rum and extracting the flavor directly from the source. Creamy and sweet, the coconut adds a smoothness that sets it apart from heavier custard-in-a-glass alternatives and brings a taste of island life to the holidays. In Puerto Rico, where the parties and observances start early and can continue well into January, there’s always an excuse for just one more.
Coquito/Puerto Rican Eggnog
Makes 5-6 cups
This recipe calls for freshly grated coconut blended with rum to extract the milk. For a nonalcoholic version, add 1 1/2 cups of hot water instead of rum to the grated coconut and proceed as directed. For a milder flavor, omit the grated coconut and substitute 2 cups of canned coconut milk, blend with remaining ingredients, then stir in the rum to taste.
2 large whole dried coconuts*
1 1/2 cups light rum (or more to taste)
2 egg yolks
1 (13.5 oz.) can condensed milk
1 (15 oz.) can evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
*Choose a coconut that’s heavy for its size. The “eyes,” or the three black spots at the stem of the coconut, should be free of mold, and you should be able to hear the liquid inside the coconut when you shake it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using a corkscrew, open the holes in the coconut’s “eyes.” Invert the coconut over a bowl or measuring cup and drain. Reserve the coconut water for another use.
Place the coconuts in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove from oven. Set the coconuts over a dish towel and tap with a hammer or the blunt edge of a knife at its widest point until a fissure opens that will allow you to crack the coconut into large pieces. Use a heavy spoon to scoop out the coconut meat from the hard outer shell. If you’re having trouble cracking the coconut or separating it from its shell, return the coconut to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, then try again. Peel the brown outer layer and chop roughly into large cubes.
Combine about 2 cups of the cubed coconut and the rum in a blender. Pulse on high speed until well combined, about 30 seconds at a time. Strain over cheesecloth into a large bowl or measuring cup, extracting as much liquid as possible. Discard the shredded coconut. Add the extracted liquid to the blender and repeat with the remaining coconut, working in batches. You should have 2-3 cups of coconut milk.
Combine the extracted coconut milk (or canned coconut milk, if using), egg yolks, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and blend on high speed until frothy. Stir in additional rum to taste (optional). Refrigerate until well chilled. Pour into cold glasses and sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon.
Ana Sofia Peláez covers the spectrum of Spanish and Latin American cuisine on her blog hungrysofia.com. From the rich smells and flavors of the Cuban food she grew up with to modern Peruvian causas, hearty Brazilian feijodas and delicate Mexican flor de calabaza soup, she’s always looking for her next great meal.
More Holiday Drinks on Cooking Channel:
- Prosecco Gold Rush Cocktail
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Mulled Cider
- Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Spirits Cocktail
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Wikia…
Wika linked to this place…
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
that may appear unappealing. realize that it…
is inevitable and accept this fact. do not greet a boring topic with a disgusted sigh and an oh-no-here-we-go-again behavior; instead take it as a challenge. dare yourself that you can turn a less interesting topic into a captivating piece of…
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other articles, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some of them worthed to try[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related websites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are few of the websites we recommend to our visitors[...]……
Yahoo results…
While searching google I found this article in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Tumblr article…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Wikia…
Wika linked to this place…
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll see the link to some websites that we think you could visit[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related websites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]Jeevmoksha is a vision, a seed, a blessing from the remotest to the closest and it beholds in itself a fruit for everyone who absorbs the idea and energy of Sri Rudranath in whose energy, we are evolving[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool info…
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its difficult to find informative and accurate info but here I noted…
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]I came across a cool website that you might be interested in. Take a look if you want[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……