Vegan coquito: Is this a Miami Christmas miracle or the stuff of nochebuena nightmares?
Vegan coquito? Ay, bendito.
When my colleagues heard about this desecration of a beloved South Florida holiday drink, they were outraged — and they’re not even Puerto Rican.
“I am about to go protest outside,” one wrote.
“I am making a poster: No Vegan Coquito,” said another.
“I’m so mad!” a notoriously grumpy colleague spat. “You don’t get to have all the things if you’re vegan! YOU DON’T.”
But here’s the thing: Maybe you do.
When you break down coquito into its most important ingredients, you realize two things carry the load: Coco Lopez sweetened coconut cream and white rum. Put those things together in just about anything, and you can’t miss.
And no part of making coquito is difficult. If you have a blender and about 10 minutes, you can make your own. I know you can now find it at the grocery store, but coquito is the kind of holiday drink that’s best made and enjoyed fresh.
But could a vegan version of coquito stand up to the original?
I cued up my go-to coquito recipe from the award-winning coquito maker Coqui The Chef, Tania Lopez, who shared her recipe with the James Beard award-winning food podcast The Sporkful. (I’ve included the recipe below.)
Then I made vegan coquito using — I’m going to need you to withhold throwing fruit — cashew and almond butters.
*ducks*
Hear me out. The butters are blended with water to stand in for evaporated milk, which gives coquito its richness. I suspect you could also use 1 ¼ cup of almond or cashew milk (or a combination) in place of the six tablespoons of JOI almond and cashew pastes and 1 ¼ of water.
The vegan version also uses condensed coconut milk and full-fat coconut milk — like Coqui’s version — which you can find next to the cow’s milk in the grocery store.
Each recipe takes 1 cup of white rum. (You can certainly leave it out and make it kid friendly.)
Puerto Ricans prefer the native rum, Don Q, which is distilled, bottled and shipped from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Or the finer local Ron del Barrilito. Nothing is stopping you from using a spiced rum for added depth. One subset of Puerto Ricans insist coquito be made with pitorro, a 150-proof moonshine guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit — and maybe the hospital.
I used Bacardi white rum.
*ducks again, but in Spanish*
I made them both, tasted them side-by-side, and I have good news: It works. The vegan version is sweeter, and you might consider cutting the amount of condensed coconut milk in half. It has the richness you expect from a good coquito, though there is a slight grittiness from the nut pastes. (I know, I hate the way that sounds, too.) Neither version uses eggs, which some Puerto Ricans argue would make it into a different, thicker drink called ponche.
I suspect if I had added the additional spices from Coqui’s recipe (nutmeg, clove, allspice) to the vegan coquito, it could have passed muster at the Miami Herald holiday party. Then again, that’s a really low bar.
But if you’re recently vegan and need coquito to get you through the holidays, there is hope. Please refer all your hate mail to my editor.
Vegan coquito from JOI
1 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons JOI cashew nutbase
3 tablespoons JOI almond nutbase
1 cup rum or adjust to taste
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
8 ounces canned condensed coconut milk
15-ounce can of sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez, usually found next to the mixers in the alcohol aisle)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp (heaping) cinnamon, or more to taste
Pinch of salt
Add all ingredients to the blender. Blend for about 45 seconds on medium-high speed. Chill before serving.
Coqui the Chef’s Coquito Lite
1/2 cup of fresh coconut milk
15-ounce can of sweetened coconut cream (Coco Lopez)
12-ounce can of 2% low fat evaporated milk (optional)
2 eggs (optional)
2 egg yolks (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla flavor
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Bacardi Rum (optional; to taste)
Blend cream of coconut for a few seconds. Add eggs and yolks, if desired, blending for about 30 seconds. Stop the blender, and add coconut and evaporated milk one at a time, blend again. Add spices and rum (optional). Blend again. Taste. Chill for about one hour before serving and keep the coquito cold.
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
