The Quest for the Best Coquito! ¿Qué es coquito?

It began in Debbie Quiñones’s apartamente in East Harlem in the winter of 2002. An old family friend had recently died without passing on her secret recipe for coquito, the traditional Puerto Rican Christmas drink that tastes something like eggnog on a beach vacation. Ms. Quiñones invited a few friends over, many with a bottle of homemade coquito in tow, and turned her party into a competition.

Seven years later, as buckets of snow were falling on the city, about 200 people gathered Saturday night at Museo del Barrio to select the best coquito in New York. It was the eighth annual Coquito Masters contest, the culmination of weeks of preliminary contests held across New York by the International Coquito Federation, the brainchild of Ms. Quiñones.

[NYT]

WHAT IS COQUITO? (¿Qué es coquito? )

By Alicia Cruz

for theblackurbantimes.com

Coquito is an eggnog-like alcoholic beverage that is traditionally served in Puerto Rico and no Boricua Christmas or New Years Eve celebration is complete without it. It's made with coconut milk & crema, nutmeg (to sprinkle atop your mix once it's in your glass), sweet milk, cinnamon, cloves and of course, Puerto Rican rum. The sweeter your mix, the better. Or is it more rum? I'd say both, but then, eso es justo mío!

If you want to know what Coquito tastes like, find yourself a Boricua and ask them to whip you up some or you can visit El Museo del Barrio in Nueva York during December in time for Dona Quiñones Coquito Tasting Concurso (contest).

Below is a recipe I found via Boricua.com. I doubt it's as good as mi Abuelita's pero you can try it.

COQUITO" PUERTO RICAN PUNCH

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooling time: 2 hours

Serves: 5

1 cup water

12 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

1 can (15 oz.) COCO LOPEZ Real Cream of Coconut

1 can (12 fl. oz.) CARNATION Evaporated Milk

1 cup rum

Powdered cinnamon, (optional)

Place water, cloves, cinnamon sticks and ginger in a small saucepan. Cook at medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat, cover. Let cool 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Place the coconut cream, evaporated milk, rum, water and spices in blender, cover. Blend for 30 seconds or until well mixed. Refrigerate in a crystal container or bottle for at least 2 hours or until liquid is very cold. Shake well before serving.

To serve: Serve 2 ounces in appetizer glasses. Sprinkle with powdered cinnamon if desired.

Advice: Drop a cinnamon stick inside the bottle/container for added flavor.