My Grandmother Kenny Mae made eggnog from “scratch”…the old fashioned way. I would watch her separate the eggs, mix the milk and spices in a pan and cook slowly standing by the stove keeping a careful eye on things. She would beat, add, stir, strain, cook and mix some more until a beautifully creamy eggnog was achieved. A tee totaler, there was no rum or bourbon added to her mix! It was served with fluffy egg whites and nutmeg. Laborious and luscious. It took a lot of time to make when time was less encumbered. There are lots of alternatives, other than the boxed kind in the dairy aisle, that are quick and easy and still luscious. Coquito, from Puerto Rico, is one such.
My first taste of Coquito was when my friend Miquel Otero gifted me one of his homemade bottles. It was made with coconut milk and spices and just the perfect amount of rum. There are 100’s of recipes in books and online with as many recipe variations, but they all have two things in common..coconut milk and rum.
It literally takes minutes to gather and combine the ingredients for this recipe. I pulled various half or almost empty bottles of rums from our mysteriously never ending collection and used what we had on hand. I do think I was a wee bit heavy handed with the rum at first. When tasting, before bottling, I felt a small cozy “buzz” from a couple of sips. Not at all a bad feeling. Coquito can also be made without alcohol. It can be added to glasses when serving if you prefer.
Decant into decorative bottles, add a tag and you are ready to sip and gift! Keep some for yourself of course. Serve plain or over ice and topped with a grating of nutmeg. Salud!
Sources:
- Napkin – Hawkins, NYC
- Short Glasses – Merci Merci
- Glass Bottles – https://allseasonsnashville.com
- Background Surfaces – Woodville Workshop
Coquito - Easy Eggless Eggnog
Ingredients:
- 2 cans unsweetened coconut milk (sizes vary, but around 13.66 oz)
- 2 cans evaporated milk, unsweetened, 12 oz
- 1 can Dulce de Leche (13.4 oz or close to)
- 2 cups rum, Optional (It can be optional, but not at our house! Also, dark, light or combo)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (taste and adjust later if you like more cinnamon)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Nutmeg for garnish (use fresh with a grater preferred, in a pinch use grated nutmeg)
Note on making: You can’t really mess this recipe up…just mix and taste and adjust to your liking. If you want more coconut milk then add it! Do whatever suits your own taste.
Directions:
- In a blender mix together all the ingredients except the nutmeg, until very well blended. Dip in mixture with a spoon and taste test. Adjust flavors as needed.
- Pour through a fine strainer/sieve.
- Serve over ice or without and a grating of nutmeg. You can also decant into bottles with tight fitting lids for gifting. Can be store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 weeks.
Note: Coquito is great to use if making a pound cake or a tres leches cake for the holidays.
http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling www.foodonfifth.com
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