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Longtime Connecticut residents are familiar with Puerto Rico’s holiday drink. It can be found at Christmas parties in workplaces across the state, or maybe in your own kitchen from now through the New Year.
Kayla Lalles is part of the cottage coquito industry. The Hartford native distributes bottles of the sweet, coconut concoction based on her abuela’s recipe.
“Every bottle that I make, every batch that I make, is a reminder of where we come from, and the love that's poured into our kitchen for so many generations to come,” she told our media partner, El Nuevo Día newspaper in Puerto Rico.
Lalles’ 85-year-old abuela, Juana Colón Castro, or "Tata," has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
“As she gets older, it's inevitable she's not going to be here forever — but [her recipe] is something that I can hold on to forever,” Lalles said.
As a mother who grew up in the diaspora, Lalles said she tries to make sure her kids, ages 10 and 16, stay connected to their roots through things like coquito — something she didn’t herself really try until her mid 20s.
Her father gifted her a bottle of her abuela’s coquito when she was 25. Lalles said she’d never been a big drinker, so maybe had tasted others’ coquito before. But clearly, it wasn’t memorable.
Not only was she wowed by her abuela’s recipe, but so were her friends and colleagues, many of whom begged for more. Eventually, the side hustle built itself, and Lalles has expanded the base recipe for Kay's Coquito to include flavors like pistachio, cookies and cream, pumpkin spice and strawberry cheesecake.
One tradition she’s not messing with, though, is the method. As coquito becomes the trendy cocktail of the season — good riddance, eggnog — Lalles pointed out it’s easy to find shortcut versions online.
“You can Google a recipe, but the way my grandmother poured, I watched,” she said.
Lalles remembers watching her grandmother’s process growing up. She said that set the standard.
“Until this day, I don't blend my coquito. I hand whisk every single batch that I make. It's all in a big stock pot, like she used to do with a big whisk,” Lalles said. “I just think the love and the passion it's made with sets it apart from everyone else's.”
In her best season, Lalles made 1,000 bottles. This year, she expected to do around half of that, since her full-time finance job has kept her busy.
