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!
This was amazing! I don’t fancy myself a mixologist but this definitely gave me the confidence to mix it up behind the bar especially with the super ingredients. Will be serving again over the holidays!
Thank you! You definitely don’t need to be a mixologist with any of the cocktails I make. Let me know if you try it.
Coquito is a holiday cocktail must-have and these recipe is the best I have tried. The cocktail came out creamy and will be making it through the holidays.
What a sweet and delicious drink. Perfect for the holidays and I love that it required no dairy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Stephanie!
My husband and I made this over the weekend. It is was my first time having el mosquito, let’s just say I was blown away! Loved it!
I’m so glad you two enjoyed it Kate!
This was my first time using Natural Bliss Brown Sugar Oat Milk Liquid Creamer. Thank you for the suggestion! My family and I loved the moquito. I will be making it again on Chrismtas!
This el moquito cocktail came out perfectly! It was creamy and delicious. My family is going to love this recipe, I’m serving it for Christmas. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it and hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
This was a delicious drink to enjoy with family. We will be making another batch soon, that’s how yummy they were!
Thanks Tamara!
Thank you for this mocktail recipe! I love the flavors of coquito so much, the liquor really is optional for me. This recipe was so easy to make and its great to have a version that I can sip on whenever I feel like it!
My friend is sober and has little kids so this was the perfect mocktail to bring to her holiday party! Everyone loved it. So fun, festive and delicious.
I love coquito so I couldn’t wait to try this version! It was so delicious and simple to make!!
This was my first time making a moquito and will not be my last. Delicious!
This was the perfect cocktail for my christmas party over the holidays. It was truly a hit, I’ve been giving everyone your recipe!