Puerto Rican Coquito by the Pitcher

Ingredients

• 1 coconut

• 3/4 (750 ml) bottle rum, light or dark

• 1 (13 1/2 ounce) can coconut milk, preferably Coco Lopez

• 1 (15 ounce) can cream of coconut, preferably Coco Lopez

• 2 1/2 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk
• 2 large cinnamon sticks

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• ice cubes, for serving

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°. Test each of the three eyes at stem end of coconut to see which is the softest. Then use an ice pick (or a screwdriver) and a hammer to pierce two of the eyes. Strain water through a fine sieve into a bowl, and reserve.

2. 2

   Place coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake for 15 minutes. Remove the coconut, carefully wrap it with a kitchen towel, and place it on a solid, stable surface. Hit the area around the eyes of the coconut forcefully with a hammer or kitchen mallet. Remove the hard shell. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the brown skin from the back of the coconut meat. Rinse flesh under cold running water. Finely grate coconut using a box grater. Transfer to a large glass measuring cup. Add reserved coconut water and rum; set aside.

3. 3

   Working in batches, in the jar of a blender, combine coconut milk, cream of coconut, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and coconut rum mixture; blend until combined. Pour all of the mix into a pitcher, and add cinnamon sticks. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days. Just before serving, stir to combine. Serve over ice.