The history of eggnog is at best sketchy. Many believe it is a derivative of the wine and milk punches from the old world Europe. In America, the punch was made by substituting rum for the wine. The American colonists called rum “grog” so the combination of the milk-egg blend and grog eventually became eggnog. Other experts attribute the term eggnog to come from the use of a small wooden mug called a “noggin” in which the “egg” concoction was served in taverns.
Coquito has many variations but it is basically made with Puerto Rican rum, coconut milk, eggs, evaporated and sweet condensed milks. Spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, anise and cloves. A little known fact is that Carnation Evaporated milk was created in 1899 and has been a favorite ingredient in the making of milk-based dishes ever since.Coquito is traditionally served well chilled in shot or cordial glasses and may be sprinkled with grated nutmeg or powdered cinnamon.
El Museo del Barrio in New York City will be hosting their very popular annual Coquito Master Qualifier Series tastings on December 19th. Additional information may be found on their website - http://www.elmuseo.org/.
Following is my tried and true recipe for the very best version of coquito:
