Coquito, Wine Enthusiast, 2019

As with much of history in cultures that pass down traditions orally, it’s hard to track down the origins of coquito, Puerto Rico’s rum punch that’s served during the holidays.

The most common story goes that the first coquito was created with pitorro, a moonshine rum made from sugarcane and buried underground to ferment. You would combine that with fresh coconut water and, later, grated coconut. You might also customize your pitorro with tropical fruits. (My grandmother used tamarind when preparing her coquito.)*

* disclaimer - this is an editor’s mistake. My grandmother never used tamarind for her coquito, she sometimes used tamarind for her pitorro. But, she never used pitorro for her coquito anyway. Only rum.

If you want to read more about coquito and get my recipe, CLICK HERE!