El Moquito – A Christmas Cocktail

El Moquito – A Christmas Cocktail

You’ve heard of the Coquito, right? The spectacular Puerto Rican Christmas cocktail equivalent to eggnog? Well, I came up with El Moquito tonight, a mock Coquito because a. the combo of coconut and sweetened condensed milk sounded luscious and b. because I couldn’t be bothered with looking at another recipe for anything.

Once upon a visit to St. Maarten years ago I was given a drink called Ponche Kuba. A beloved elixir from Curacao, the Ponche Kuba I tasted had all the attributes of a domestic eggnog but more. A close family friend Jackie makes an African-American version of eggnog that was taught to her by her mother-in-law in the 1950s. Jackie’s virgin and unchaste versions are equally decadent, the secret seeming to be incessant whipping with a hand mixer to create a light, frothy frenzy. My youngest nephew Kyle became the eggnog whisperer – he was already the unpaid Geek Squad-type troubleshooter of the family – while I served as sous chef. I even invested in a good yet inexpensive egg separator to make extracting the whites easier. Now that he’s a vegan though he says he’s resigning from the position. Damn, damn, damn! I came up with this alternative because it was easy to convert it into a vegan dream. A Colorado Border Wall Bulldog is another vegan holiday drink that everyone who likes creamy cocktails will praise.

El Moquito

  • 1 Can Coconut Cream
  • 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk Vegans use Natural Bliss Brown Sugar Oat Milk Liquid Creamer
  • Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey
  • Lime, garnish
  • Allspice, garnish
  • Nutmeg, garnish
  • Crushed Christmas colored Candies like M&Ms, garnish

Open can of coconut cream and stir to ensure the cream on top is completely incorporated with the liquid at the bottom of the can. Pour 6 ounces of the cream into a cocktail shaker with 1 ounce of sweetened condensed milk, 1 ounce of the rye whiskey and plenty of ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Choose the garnishes of your desire. Serve El Moquito con Granny’s Deviled Eggs for a cocktail party to remember. !Vaya con Dios!



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Let me know how the recipes come out!