Haiti's beloved holiday liqueur: a thick, sweet, creamy drink of cream of coconut, condensed and evaporated milk, white rum, lime zest and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise. Served chilled in small glasses.
Kremas is the drink of Haitian Christmas and New Year, made in every household and passed around to guests as a gesture of warmth and welcome. Recipes are guarded family secrets handed down orally from elders, and making it together is a cherished rite of passage between generations.
Lusciously thick and sweet, coating the mouth with coconut and condensed-milk richness warmed by cinnamon and a kick of rum. It drinks almost like a dessert — festive, indulgent, and dangerously easy.
The high sugar and fat content of condensed and coconut milk emulsify into a stable, viscous base that suspends the alcohol and spices evenly, while chilling thickens it further as the fats firm up.
Variations
with dark or spiced rum, with a pinch of clove, a coffee-flavored version, alcohol-free for children
On the Palate
Where Kremas sits in the Haitian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 12
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 13 min
Toast or warm the spices — cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg — briefly to release aroma.
Watch outToast the spices only until you smell them — a few seconds — since scorched cinnamon and nutmeg turn the whole batch bitter.
- 23 min
In a large bowl, whisk together cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk.
- 32 min
Whisk in evaporated milk until fully smooth.
- 42 min
Add white rum to taste, along with vanilla and lime zest.
- 51 min
Stir in the ground or steeped spices.
- 64 min
Blend everything until thick, uniform and silky.
Watch outBlend until the base visibly thickens and turns silky and uniform — that body is what suspends the alcohol and spice instead of letting them separate.
- 72 min
Strain if needed and pour into clean bottles.
- 82 min
Chill thoroughly and serve cold in small glasses.
Watch outChill it hard before serving — the fat only firms up cold, and that's what gives kremas its rich, clinging texture.
