It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….time to pour the eggnog…. Try singing the tune, it really does work. Ok, that’s a little corny, but I love that classic song. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since I got to sing it in my 5th grade choir for the Christmas show.
So, why eggnog? Well, on Sunday evening, after winding down from our Thanksgiving weekend I decided to make us some eggnog to get into the Christmas spirit while I cyber-shopped for deals, since we skipped the Black Friday shopping. Except I turned it up a notch with Puerto Rican Eggnog or as they call it, Coquito. It’s a cold frothy coconut drink spiked with rum that is shared with friends and family during Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Puerto Rico. As Christmas Eve approaches carolers visit friends and neighbors asking for food and drink and they are greeted with Coquito. The Christmas carolers in Puerto Rico play instruments like maracas, güiro (a percussion instrument made from a gourd), and the cuatro (a four-stringed guitar), it’s quite a treat.
I like this recipe for Puerto Rican Eggnog because it skips the raw eggs. Instead, it uses coconut cream to create the thickness in the drink.
Puerto Rican Eggnog – Coquito Ingredients:
One 15-ounce cans cream of coconut
One 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
One 15-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
6 ounces white rum (use less if you like)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon coconut (or vanilla) extract
3 cinnamon sticks
Method:
Combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, coconut cream, and coconut milk in a large blender and blend until well combined. Add the rum, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg and blend in.
Pour into a pitcher or glass bottles with sealed lids and drop in the cinnamon sticks. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until very cold.
Serve straight in small glasses garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a cinnamon stick.
Feliz Navidad
– Happy Christmas
Wow.. Certainly this is a great beverage recipe, very good with so many visitors friends and families this coming Christmas at home. Just put it in a large pitcher and drink up.
My kids would love this as a non alcoholic version.. They will never have enough i’m sure, even I am a eggnog lover. Specially at night when i stay up late watching some television.