#FoodieFriday with Cruzan Foodie is back again! This week’s item is an immediate indicator that Christmas is on the horizon on St. Croix. You can’t celebrate Christmas in St. Croix without a tall glass of coquito! Originating from neighboring  island Puerto Rico, this coconut based alcoholic beverage is often described as Puerto Rican eggnog. Since 1917, a number of Puerto Rican descendants migrated to the US Virgin Islands. This makes Puerto Ricans the largest number of migrants to the territory. We’ve been blessed with a rare cultural link between the islands that brought about a number of shared traditions like enjoying coquito during the festive holiday season!

SEE ALSO: #FoodieFriday – Armstrong’s Homemade Ice Cream

Coquito is such a highly regarded beverage on St. Croix that we have what is known as Coquito Festival. This long-running event, now in its 11^th year in 2018, features a number of participants who compete to have their coquito named the best and retain bragging rights for a year! It takes place every year at La Reine Chicken Shack complete with live music, a visit by Santa Claus giving gifts and taking pictures with the kids, and of course, countless bottles and samples of this rum spiked beverage available for purchase. There are also new twists on the original coquito recipe with the addition of flavors such as pistachio, chocolate and espresso that many try their hand at making. The 2018 Coquito Festival takes place on Saturday December 15th from about 12pm until midnight.

Don’t be too sad if you can’t make it to the US Virgin Islands for the holidays. Lucky for you, I have a foolproof coquito recipe you can make in the comfort of your own home. I would much rather you visit St. Croix and get a taste at Coquito Festival or from one of the booths at our Crucian Christmas Carnival Village (December 26^th to January 6^th), but this recipe will have to do for now. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Makes 8-12 servings

Ingredients

1-12oz can evaporated milk

1-15oz can sweetened cream of coconut (Coco Lopez is what we use in St. Croix)

1-14oz can sweet condensed milk

1-15oz can coconut milk

3 cups Cruzan Light or Cruzan Coconut Rum (The best rum in the entire world)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine evaporated milk, cream of coconut, condensed milk and coconut milk in a large blender. Blend ingredients until completely combined. Add the rum, vanilla and ground cinnamon to the blender and blend together.
2. Pour into a pitcher of glass bottles with sealed lids. Add in the cinnamon stick and seal the bottles and/or pitcher. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until chilled.
3. Serve immediately in your favorite glasses with or without ice and garnished with sprinkle of cinnamon. Place leftovers in tightly sealed containers in the refrigerator for about one week.

*Remember that coconut oil solidifies in the cold. This can often make the mixture quite thick after some time in the fridge. Leave your coquito out on the counter for about 15 minutes or you can run the bottle under warm tap water for 1-2 minutes. Shake vigorously before serving.

Until Next Time,

Q the Cruzan Foodie