Coecoei and Ponche Crema: Aruba’s Traditional Liqueurs

Coecoei (also spelled cucui) is a red liqueur made from the sap of local agave mixed with rum and sugar, and it is a traditional ingredient in Aruba’s signature cocktail, the Aruba Ariba. Ponche Crema is the island’s creamy egg punch, a little sweeter than American eggnog and a fixture of the Christmas season. Here is what each one is, how to drink it, and where to find a bottle.

What is Coecoei?

Coecoei is a red liqueur with a light anise flavor. According to Wikipedia, it is “of indigenous Indian origin” and is traditionally made with agave sisalana, known locally as kukwisa. VisitAruba describes it as a liquor that “derives from the sap of local agave plants,” which is “mixed with rum and sugar to create this special liquor which is only found in Aruba.”

The Aruba Tourism Authority tells a similar story on its Spanish-language blog: an ancestral drink that, according to popular legend, goes back to the island’s indigenous people, made from kukwisa sap with rum and sugarcane, and known for its bright red color. Note the wording there. The origin is told as legend, and we found no documented date or original recipe.

Coecoei is not Venezuelan cocuy

The names sound alike, which causes confusion online. Venezuela’s cocuy is a different, distilled spirit made from Agave cocui. Aruba’s Coecoei is a sweetened liqueur built on rum. If you are shopping or searching for it, search for the double “e” spelling, or “cucui,” to find the Aruban one.

How Coecoei is used: the Aruba Ariba

Most visitors taste Coecoei without knowing it, inside an Aruba Ariba. The cocktail was created on 1 July 1963 by Juan “Jocky” Tromp at the Aruba Caribbean Hotel, now the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, where he won a bartender competition with it.

Recipes vary from bar to bar. One version published by VisitAruba uses:

• 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz 151 rum (or rum of your choice)
• 1/8 oz Coecoei
• 1/8 oz crème de banana
• 1/2 cup each of orange, cranberry and pineapple juice
• Crushed ice, a splash of grenadine, a Grand Marnier float, and an orange slice and maraschino cherry to garnish

Shake for a minute or two, pour into a tall glass, add the grenadine and top with Grand Marnier. Other sources, including the tourism authority, use lemon juice where VisitAruba uses cranberry. Notice how little Coecoei goes in: an eighth of an ounce, so it plays a supporting role. For the full history and variations, see our Aruba Ariba guide.

No Coecoei? Substitutes

Since VisitAruba says it is only found in Aruba, you may need a stand-in at home. The tourism authority suggests Grand Marnier as a stand-in for the Ariba. VisitAruba suggests passion fruit nectar, agave nectar or cherry brandy. None of them is the real thing, so treat them as a workaround.

What is Ponche Crema?

Ponche Crema is the Caribbean version of egg punch. The tourism authority describes it as “a Latin American beverage that is a bit sweeter than the standard American eggnog,” and it is part of Aruba’s Christmas food tradition, popular at December celebrations.

The classic ingredients, per aruba.com, are rum, condensed milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and spices. The source gives no quantities, and family recipes differ, so treat any exact recipe you find online as one household’s version rather than the official one. The tourism authority singles out Aruba Experience Café & Patisserie for its homemade Ponche Crema.

If you are visiting in December, our guide to Christmas in Aruba covers the season’s food and drink.

Coecoei vs. Ponche Crema at a glance

	Coecoei	Ponche Crema
Style	Red, sweet liqueur with a light anise flavor	Creamy egg punch, sweeter than American eggnog
Main ingredients	Agave (kukwisa) sap, rum, sugar or sugarcane	Rum, condensed milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, spices
Origin story	Ancestral drink linked by popular legend to Aruba’s indigenous people	Caribbean and Latin American holiday tradition
When people drink it	At celebrations and in cocktails like the Aruba Ariba	Mainly at Christmas and December festivities
A cocktail that uses it	Aruba Ariba	Aruban Blast

A Ponche Crema cocktail: the Aruban Blast

Ponche Crema also works in blended drinks. The Aruban Blast, a recipe credited to the Radisson Aruba on VisitAruba, blends 1.5 oz white rum, 1.5 oz Ponche Crema, 1 oz coconut cream, one banana and ice. Pour a little blue curaçao into a tall glass first, then the blended mix over it. If you can’t find Ponche Crema at home, eggnog liqueur is the suggested replacement.

Where to buy Coecoei in Aruba

The tourism authority names The Arubian Taste in Oranjestad as a place that sells Coecoei. Because sources describe it as found only in Aruba, it makes a good bottle to take home. Check your airline’s and your home country’s rules on carrying liquor before you pack it.

For a wider look at what to try on the island, from Balashi beer to rum shop culture, see our list of Aruban drinks to try.

Tasting Coecoei without buying a bottle

The easiest way is to order an Aruba Ariba. The tourism authority calls it the island’s most emblematic cocktail, and Surfside Beach Bar in Oranjestad is one place the tourism authority mentions serving it. Since recipes vary, don’t be surprised if one bar’s version uses Grand Marnier instead.

If you are hosting at a villa, our Beach Bash package includes an Aruba Ariba jug alongside Rum Punch, Margarita, Mojito and Piña Colada, mixed by a professional bartender and delivered ready to pour. You can see it with our other cocktail jug packages.