Spice-Forward Coquito
César Pérez
Photo by Faki Malik
- Serves
- about 18 (4-ounce) drinks
- Prep Time
- 11 Hours
- Cook Time
- 5 Minutes
The holidays are back and that means one thing—it's time to bust out the coquito. There are many ways to approach this Puerto Rican holiday drink, but the non-negotiables are Puerto Rican rum and the spices. Here, we mix traditional aromatics and spices such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, and ginger with green cardamom—which is not traditional, but adds a really interesting sweetness and complexity. This spice mix shows up twice, first to infuse the rum and then in a spiced tea, which is then blended with three different coconut milks (coquito translates to “little coconut”). Balanced with salt, this is a really complex (and not sickeningly sweet) coquito, best served really cold.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Rincón Rum
- 2 piece (6-inch) ginger, bruised
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- 6 star anise
- 10 cloves
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 2 large bay leaves
- 2 lime peels
- 1 tablespoon (heaping) vanilla bean powder or paste
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 (15-ounce) can cream of coconut, such as Coco López
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed coconut milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- Ground cinnamon, for garnish
Featured Video
This recipe is shared in partnership with Rincón Rum.
Directions
- Step 1
Toast ginger, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, green cardamom, bay leaves, and lime peels in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking frequently until fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- Step 2
Evenly split the contents of the skillet. Add half to the bottle of Ron Rincón. (You’ll most likely need to pour out—or pour yourself—a shot before adding the ingredients to your bottle.) Let infuse overnight, or up to a week.
- Step 3
To make your spiced tea, bring water to a boil and add remaining contents of your skillet. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside.
- Step 4
Have a large bowl ready to pour the mixture into. Then, to a blender, add coconut milk, cream of coconut, coconut sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla bean powder, salt, and spiced tea. Blend until smooth, working in batches if needed. Give the mixture in bowl one final whisk to incorporate everything.
- Step 5
Whisk in 1 to 2 cups of infused rum (adjust to taste).
- Step 6
Pour the coquito mixture into a pitcher or bottles. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight.
- Step 7
When ready to serve, shake in a cocktail shaker and serve over ice. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.