Cola de Mono
Instant coffee, whole cloves and chilean brandy or aguardiente come together in this vegetarian — 60 minutes, 7 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan and pan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- In a saucepan, combine the milk, cinnamon stick and cloves, then heat gently over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling, and remove from the heat to infuse for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dissolve the sugar in the water in a small pan over low heat, then let it simmer for a couple of minutes to form a light syrup.
- Stir the instant coffee into the warm syrup until fully dissolved.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves from the milk, then whisk in the coffee syrup, ground nutmeg and vanilla extract.
- Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, then stir in the brandy or aguardiente.
- Transfer to a bottle or jug and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight, for the flavours to develop.
- Shake or stir well and serve cold in small glasses with a light dusting of nutmeg on top.
You'll use: Saucepan · Pan · Whisk · Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Cola de Mono take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Cola de Mono vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Cola de Mono is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Cola de mono en Navidad.jpg by B1mbo, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.