By Jason Lopez

Aug 12 2023

The scent of vanilla has always been one of my absolute favorites. It reminds me of my Puerto Rican family gatherings around Christmas and El Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day. My mother would setup a day for cooking right before the big family gatherings every year to make her yuca pasteles and a big batch of her much-requested coquito recipe that was passed down to her from her aunt Vivian, all to the sweet sounds of Salsa legends like Celia Cruz and Hector Lavoe filling our home. Coquito is essentially the Puerto Rican version of eggnog. She served both during the holidays and would also give them as gifts to her dear friends. So it is with great pleasure that I present to you my mother’s translation of the recipe for Coquito de Vivian! Que se disfruten!