Canelazo is a hot alcoholic drink popular in Central and South America, made with cinnamon, sugar, fruit juice, and aguardiente. It is traditionally served during winter and Christmas celebrations, and variations of the recipe exist due to experimentation with different flavors. Naranjilla juice is a common ingredient, but substitutions like orange or lime juice and light rum can be used outside of South America.
Canelazo is a hot alcoholic drink that originated in Ecuador and is popular throughout Central and South America. There are several ways to prepare the drink, but its main ingredients include cinnamon, sugar and fruit juice, flavored with a strong alcohol derived from sugar cane. Canelazo is very popular in the colder winter months and is often incorporated into traditional Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Colombian Christmas celebrations.
Ecuadorians are believed to have started making the drink centuries ago in the Andes. The warmth and potency of the drink made it an attractive accompaniment to many a winter night – benefits that are still celebrated in modern times. There is no canelazo recipe, as cooks have always been free to experiment with different flavours, proportions and variations. Most iterations follow a similar pattern, however.
Typically cooks prepare the drink by boiling sugar in fruit juice, traditionally naranjilla juice. Naranjilla is a South American fruit in the nightshade family that resembles a pale tomato, but has a very citrus-like flavor. It is common practice to add a cinnamon stick, and sometimes cloves as well, to the juice as it boils.
Once the sugar is incorporated, the drinks are sprinkled with a warm aguardiente, a local liqueur, and served in glasses or mugs. The word aguardiente is a generic term for distilled alcohol with a high percentage of alcohol by volume. For canelazo, the required aguardiente comes from cane juice, often spiced during fermentation. It tastes vaguely like licorice to many people. Home brewing is popular, but the liqueur can also be purchased at many stores.
The drink is very popular during the winter and is often served to guests and visitors as a means of warming up after a journey. It is served alongside Christmas foods in many Andean celebrations. Children also typically participate, often sampling the drink just before the alcohol is added. In some cities, Canelazo may also be served by street vendors. This is most popular in the weeks between Christmas and Epiphany.
Though native to the Andean region, canelazo is popular in many communities. However, it can sometimes be difficult to find all of the canelazo ingredients outside of South America. Naranjilla, for example, is difficult to grow in many places and does not export well. Aguardiente, if not made at home, can also be difficult to locate outside of South America.
Cooks hoping to recreate the overall taste and feel of mixed drinks often rely on substitutions. Citrus juice, especially orange or lime, is a common addition. Orange juice often resembles the sweet, mellow taste of naranjilla, while lime mimics its bite.
Light rum is the most common aguardiente substitute, largely because it, too, is distilled from sugar cane. Rum is widely available in most parts of the world. The taste is different, but complementary.
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