Annual coquito competition conjures memories of home
Lizette Hernandez remembers helping her father in the kitchen as a little girl while he concocted his signature coquito for the friends and family who would come over during the Christmas holidays. Mixing the traditional Puerto Rican drink with rum, coconut and condensed milk, her father would make a non-alcoholic version for the children, who had no idea their recipe was just slightly tweaked.
“I can remember being about 4 or 5 years old, and I was so excited that I was able to drink what all the grown-ups were drinking,” said Hernandez, who grew up in Mott Haven. “I love to make coquito because without it, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas to me.”
Hernandez’s attention to her father’s recipe paid off last month. The Hunts Point resident finished first in a qualifying round of the annual Coquito Masters competition, held on Nov. 14 at the South of France restaurant in Parkchester. Her win earns her a place in the International Coquito Tasting Federation’s state tournament this month; and she could move on to the tri-state final, where qualifiers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – as well as Massachusetts for the first time this year — will mix it up on Jan. 9, 2015, in The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration Office in Manhattan.
Debbie Quinones founded the contest in her living room in 2002 after a family friend, Ocasia Feber, who used to make coquito for Quinones, passed away without passing along her recipe.
“This contest gives an opportunity for the Puerto Rican community to celebrate its culture,” Quinones said. “You will taste many kinds of coquito, each with a family secret.”
Coquito is made with a base of rum, coconut, cinnamon, condensed milk and vanilla. But the variations are closely guarded family secrets. Quinones recalled that Feber would add a piece of cheese to the bottle of coquito to soak up the alcohol and make the drink smoother. She would then take the cheese out and serve it with crackers with the coquito on the side. Not one contestant at the most recent qualifying round would divulge his or her recipe, however.
At the South of France, despite the chilly weather, the restaurant was packed full of people who came to place their votes. Latin music reverberated throughout the restaurant, as contestants and voters chatted, danced and sipped their drinks little by little.
This was the first time that Maribel Gonzalez, the owner of the restaurant, had hosted the coquito event, and she would love to offer her restaurant every year.
“I’m so happy to connect Puerto Rico’s traditions with my restaurant,” Gonzalez said. “This represents a chance to gather family together and unite the Puerto Rican community.”
The 60 voters had 30 minutes to try a sample of each competitor’s coquito, which ranged in creaminess and taste. Some were less sweet, or had a stronger cinnamon flavor. In others, the taste of the rum was more prominent.
Michelle Ramirez, a contestant from Pelham Bay, was making her third appearance in a qualifying round. She got her secret recipe from her mother. “I can’t tell my special recipe,” she said, “but I wanted to brag about my mom’s coquito.”
When the voting period was up, Quinones gathered the cards and left the restaurant in order to tally the votes. After a tense 40 minutes, she made her announcement to the crowd. This was Hernandez’s first time entering the contest. She posed, holding her qualifier certificate for photos as other contestants and voters offered congratulations. Hernandez’s next stop: the New York State finals on Dec. 13 at the Taino Towers gym in East Harlem.
“This is a great way to get people together to celebrate something fun and positive,” Hernandez said. “I love teaching my children about our Puerto Rican culture. And, well, it tastes really good!”