Merry Christmas everyone! Hope your all doing well on this wonderful Christmas Eve. I've spent the day cooking, dancing and just full of Christmas cheer. It has been a while since the onset of the "holidays" has brought me much joy, the joy I did feel was knowing my children were happy and that was enough. This year, to my surprise I'm just so full of cheer and hope and have done all I could to spread that around.
In my family, the christmas festivities began the evening of christmas eve we'd eat, play games, eat more, then the kids would have to go to bed by around midnight. The adults on the other hand would pour themselves into bed once all the guests were gone and there was no telling when that would be. Once my mother heard us running down the stairs christmas day, she'd alert my dad and together they'd watch us open our gifts. My mom was always so cheery around the holidays, it made us feel special when we opened our gifts and she'd have a huge smile on her face knowing we'd be pleased.
Today, as I prepared our holiday meal, I thought of my mother, I remembered one of the first things she'd prepare before the food and that was "coquito". Coquito is a drink that is commonly ingested in huge amounts by Puerto Ricans mainly around the holidays and celebrations. A vivid memory of my mother sporadically pouring herself a shot of coquito while she cooked dinner brought a smile to my face. It also prompted me to have a shot or two myself as I cooked dinner, then I decided I'd share the recipe with you. Below find the recipe for Coquito and have a merry, merry christmas and a happy, healthy new year. Enjoy!
In my family, the christmas festivities began the evening of christmas eve we'd eat, play games, eat more, then the kids would have to go to bed by around midnight. The adults on the other hand would pour themselves into bed once all the guests were gone and there was no telling when that would be. Once my mother heard us running down the stairs christmas day, she'd alert my dad and together they'd watch us open our gifts. My mom was always so cheery around the holidays, it made us feel special when we opened our gifts and she'd have a huge smile on her face knowing we'd be pleased.
Today, as I prepared our holiday meal, I thought of my mother, I remembered one of the first things she'd prepare before the food and that was "coquito". Coquito is a drink that is commonly ingested in huge amounts by Puerto Ricans mainly around the holidays and celebrations. A vivid memory of my mother sporadically pouring herself a shot of coquito while she cooked dinner brought a smile to my face. It also prompted me to have a shot or two myself as I cooked dinner, then I decided I'd share the recipe with you. Below find the recipe for Coquito and have a merry, merry christmas and a happy, healthy new year. Enjoy!
COQUITO
2 cans coconut milk
1 can coco Lopez (optional)
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 cup dark rum (bacardi or Palo Viejo)
Pour first four ingredients into blender, mix well. Add cinnamon, mix again. Add rum and mix again. This drink should be somewhat thick, so you need to chill it for a few hours. Once chilled, shake it to re-incorporate the ingredients, then serve. In the photo above I sprinkled some cinnamon on top and some coconut shavings for garnish, but that's not necessary, just pour and enjoy. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
This post first appeared on Culinary Chronicles: My Food Adventures, Recipes And Other Stuff., please read the originial post: here
