A traditional early morning or late night favorite in the Sierra de Puebla, this atole makes a warming, nutritious breakfast drink. Kids love the purple color.

Ingredients

• 1 cup blackberries
• 4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the berries and 2 cups of the milk in a blender and puree. Strain the mixture into a saucepan, add the cornstarch and cook, stirring, until it begins to thicken. Add the remaining 2 cups of milk and the sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add vanilla. Serve hot in mugs. Makes 4 servings.

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When we lived in Oaxaca, we had neighbors with a pomegranate tree that seemed to bear fruit much longer than in other places. In Puebla, the pomegranate season is late summer, after which pomegranates disappear until December, when California imports are sold in the supermarkets, as they are north of the border. Bottled pomegranate juice is now available in most major Mexican supermarkets.

Ingredients

• 2 750-mililiter bottles of champagne, chilled
• 1 cup pomegranate juice, chilled
• ¼ cup Triple Sec

Pour all ingredients into a pitcher. Serve in champagne flutes, garnish with pomegranate seeds if available. Makes 10 servings.

The post Pomegranate champagne cocktail: Coctel de champaña y granada appeared first on MexConnect.

This column presented a basic recipe for Rompope: Puebla Style Eggnog in the November 2003 issue of Mexico Connect. This one, which contains almonds, is very close to the original recipe prepared in the Convent of Santa Clara, except that the alcohol is not added until the end, for those who wish to eliminate it or add it to individual drinks just before serving.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup blanched, peeled almonds
• 6 cups milk
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• rum to taste

Preparation:

Place the almonds in a blender or food processor with a little bit of the milk and grind until smooth. Place the remaining milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium flame, while stirring in the sugar and the almond puree a little at a time. As soon as the milk mixture has come to a boil, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool in the saucepan.

Beat the eggs with a wire whisk. Return the saucepan with the cooled milk mixture to the stove, and bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring in the eggs with a wooden spoon. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and the rum. Allow to cool. If not serving immediately, pour into sterile glass bottles, cover and store in the refrigerator.

Makes 2 quarts.

Link to Source Article

Back to the Kitchen!

The post Almond Rompope: Rompope Almendrado appeared first on MexConnect.

Sweet cinnamon coffee is a great early-morning energy booster, as well as a good beverage for those who need to stay awake later in the day. My husband calls it “funeral coffee” because cafe de olla is always served at the velorios — all-night wakes — with large trays of sweet rolls.

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 3 heaping teaspoons medium-grind coffee (not instant)
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar or piloncillo, or to taste

Bring the water to a boil. Add the coffee, cinnamon and sugar, and continue boiling for 30 seconds.

Stir and strain into hot mugs.

Serves 6.

The post Sweet cinnamon coffee: Cafe de olla appeared first on MexConnect.

During the warm months in Mexico, a variety of tropical fruit-flavored ices are sold by vendors with pushcarts, usually stationed in the parks and in front of schools. In the zócalo – main square – in Puebla, several exotic varieties are available, including those flavored with the local specialty, an egg-nog like liquor called rompope, and of course, the ever-popular tequila and lime. The following ice combines the tequila and lime with the the sweetness of mango.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups chopped ripe mango (number of mangos will depend on their size)
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons tequila

Preparation:

Stir the sugar and water together over medium heat until the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves.

Cool the mixture, place it in a blender, add the mango and lime juice and puree until smooth.

Transfer to a pie plate or refrigerator tray covered with foil, and freeze 2 hours, or until slushy.

Remove from freezer, add the tequila, and beat well.

Return to freezer, remove after one-half hour, and beat again.

Place the ice in the freezer and remove 10-15 minutes before serving time.

Place in blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Link to Source Article

The post Mango-tequila ice: Nieve de mango con tequila appeared first on MexConnect.

Did You Know…?

In 1897, Carl Lumholtz, the famous Norwegian ethnologist, who spent several years living with remote Indian tribes in Mexico, found that the Huichol Indians in eastern Nayarit distilled agave juice using simple pot stills, the pots being quite unlike any other Spanish or pre-Columbian vessels.

By 1944, Henry Bruman, a University of California geographer, had documented how Filipino seamen on the Manila Galleon introduced similar stills to western Mexico, for making coconut brandy, during the late sixteenth century.

Dr. Nyle Walton, of the University of Florida, later showed how the Spanish authorities had sought to suppress Mexican liquor production because it threatened to compete with Spanish brandy. This suppression led to the establishment of illicit distilling in many remote areas, including parts of Colima and Jalisco. Even today, the word “tuba”, which means coconut wine in the Filipino Tagalog language, is used in Jalisco for mescal wine before its final distillation into tequila. This is probably because the first stills used for the process were Filipino in origin.

All this makes it more than likely that the first genuine tequila was distilled somewhere in western Mexico at some stage in the late sixteenth century.

Documentary sources from that time are few and far between, but the earliest known reference to the making of tequila comes from Descripción de la Nueva Galicia (Description of New Galicia) written by a Franciscan friar, Domingo Lázaro de Arregui, in 1621. The work, which was not published until 1946, has been lauded by distinguished Jalisco historian José María Murià as marking “the beginning of the historical geography of the region.” It is considered one of the most significant sources available for unravelling the social and economic history of many rural areas west and north of Mexico City.

Relatively little is known about the life of this important seventeenth century chronicler, though another well-known Jalisco historian, Carmen Castañeda has managed to write an interesting profile of the cleric, based on documents pertaining to his estate. She describes a knowledgeable priest who was lustful in his youth, a veritable cloak and dagger character, who had two illegitimate offspring by a respected young lady.

The original text of Descripción de la Nueva Galicia now resides in Madrid, Spain. Of the many fascinating insights into life in western Mexico, perhaps the most noteworthy is the description of how the roots and bases of the leaves of certain agave plants are roasted and eaten:

“The mescals are very similar to the maguey, and their root and the bases of their fleshy leaves are eated roasted, and from them, by pressing them thus roasted, they extract a must from which they distill a wine, clearer than water, and stronger than spirits, and of that taste, And, though they claim many virtues for the mescal made, they commonly use it in such excess that they discredit the wine and even the plant.”

This is the earliest known documentary reference to the making and consumption of tequila.

Lázaro de Arregui’s Descripción de la Nueva Galicia is also interesting in other respects. For instance, he remarked on the linguistic diversity of the region, claiming that 72 distinct languages were spoken in the region. Elsewhere, he emphasised the wide-open spaces still awaiting development: “There is so much uninhabited space in these realms that I doubt whether Europe’s entire population could fill them; not only do they have no known boundaries, but all is empty.”

Tequila’s origins, way back in the sixteenth century may be fairly astonishing, but its extraordinarily rapid rise in popularity over the past decade worldwide is just as astonishing. At long last, the quality of the finest tequilas is recognized as being on a par with the finest whiskies, rums and brandies. So, raise your glasses to tequila this festive season:

¡Salud! — Seasonal greetings to all!

This article is the basis for Chapter 12 in the author’s Mexican Kaleidoscope: myths, mysteries and mystique (Sombrero Books, 2016).

Other articles about tequila worth sampling:

• Tequila, more than just a margarita by Marvin H. Perton
• So, you want to try tequila? by Luis Dumois.
• Tequila – not just Mexico’s national drink!! by Tony Burton

Sources:

• A Drink Named Tequila by José María Murià and Ricardo Sánchez (Editorial Agata, 1996). A limited number of copies of this pictorial history of tequila (in English) are available from Sombrero Books
• Una relación de la Nueva Galicia en 1621: la de Domingo Lázaro de Arregui y a la espera de una nueva edición, by José María Murià in Relaciones, estudios de historia y sociedad. Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán, Volume XXI, n° 84 – otoño 2000, pp 251-273.
• Bienes, libros y escritos de Domingo Lázaro de Arregui, by Carmen Castañeda, in Estudios del Hombre, 1997.
• Tequila, by Nyle K. Walton in the British Chamber of Commerce Magazine, Mexico City. 1977. Reprint of article first published in Américas, magazine of the Organization of American States.

Text and all photos © Copyright 2005 by Tony Burton. All rights reserved.

Published or Updated on: March 14, 2008 by Tony Burton © 2008

The post Did You Know? Tequila dates from the sixteenth century appeared first on MexConnect.

I first tasted this at the Café Enamorada in Cholula. It’s a no-fuss dessert choice, because it’s coffee and dessert in one. Use the best quality chocolate available and whipped heavy cream.

Ingredients

For each serving:

• ½ ounce bittersweet chocolate (sold as chocolate semi amargo in Mexico)
• 1 ½ ounces rum
• 1 cup freshly brewed coffee
• ¼ cup whipped cream
  

Place the chocolate in a cup or tall parfait glass, add the rum and then the hot coffee. Stir to combine. Top with whipped cream and serve with sugar for those who like it sweeter.

Link to Source Article

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Ah!

Nectar of the Gods!

Bacchus never had it so good!

When I think of tequila, the following things come to mind:

• a really quaint, clean little Mexican town about 90 minutes from my home;
• clear liquid in little shot glasses beside red liquid in shot glasses along with a plate of lemon and salt;
• a desire to have a bullet speedily implanted in my brain the day after I drink too much.

But the holidays are upon us and with the season come the parties, which in Mexico means plenty of tequila.

Mexico Connect offers you some good articles on tequila, both the town and the beverage, which I recommend you take the time to read. If, however, you’re on a time budget let this be your quick guide to tequila – the beverage.

Some thoughts to ponder as you are wandering the aisles of your local liquor barn are that good tequila is expensive, bad tequila can kill you (or at least make you wish you were dead), however, both have a place in your home liquor cabinet.

There are two kinds of tequila – expensive and not so expensive.

Expensive tequila is not meant to be wasted on a party of 100 who want nothing more than to get smashed, it is meant for a party of 3 or 4 close friends who wish to enjoy a good drink. My personal preference runs toward Don Julio Silver from Tres Magueyes.

I always maintain two really great bottles of tequila at home – one white and one gold. This tequila is what I serve to my Mexican friends because they normally drink it straight, accompanied by some “sangrita”, lemon and salt. They say real men drink white tequila because its flavor is usually harsher, less refined than that of its half brother gold tequila. I’m a woman, so what does that say about me?

I also always have a bottle or two of what I call ” Not So Expensive” or “Margarita Grade” tequila for when my non-Mexican friends arrive. These are the folks that like margaritas, poppers, sunrises and other such sundry tequila peculiarities.

Not so expensive tequila can be wasted on as many people as your budget can afford since you WILL want to mix it with other ingredients to hide its slightly unpleasant flavor. This is why margaritas, sunrises and poppers were invented in the first place.

The following recipes have been tested by the Mexico Connect staff however, we recommend you try them for yourself at your own risk as we will NOT be held liable for any after effects.

These recipes are for the “Margarita Grade” brands of tequila, so put your Don Julio back in the cabinet and pull out some “Not So Expensive” tequila instead and have some fun!!!

• Beach Cocktail
• Tropical Cocktail
• Grapefruit and Apple Refresher

The Day After

There is NOTHING like tequila.

There is also NOTHING like the hangover you get the next day if you:

• a) don’t know how to imbibe
• properly and/or b) drank too darn much of the stuff.

Expensive tequila rarely gives me a hangover for two reasons:

• I don’t tend to drink as much at one sitting and,
• It has fewer impurities than the not so expensive kind.

The tequila hangovers I have suffered at my own hand could have been avoided by following a few simple rules:

• Avoid mixed drinks that involve tequila. Never has tequila given me a hangover when I have chosen to drink it in the traditional manner – straight, sangrita, lemon and salt on the side. When I have mixed it it’s been another story.
• Never drink too much. Although it might take a few minutes to kick in, tequila does create the same effect as any other alcoholic beverage.
• Never mix tequila, or any other alcoholic beverage for that matter, with any other kind of alcohol. Start and finish with tequila.
• Never drink on an empty stomach. Try to eat something beforehand and continue during your imbibing. Stick to things with lots of acid in them – jicama and cucumber with lemon, salt and chile; pickled pigs feet or pickled pig skin tostadas; any vegetable “encurtido” or in “escabeche” ( I recommend mushrooms) and even peanuts or potato chips with lemon, salt and chile sprinkled on top.

If you did not heed these warnings then there is nothing left to do but suffer through until you can locate any of the following remedies:

• A cold beer and two aspirins (particularly good if you are planning on doing it all over again, this gives you a head start)
• A liter of orange juice
• One raw egg, beaten, in one cup of orange juice with two aspirins
• One raw egg, beaten, with 12 oz. of coke (considered by some to be THE best way to start the day), with 2 aspirins
• Menudo (Cow tripe – read stomach – in broth served with a spicy salsa on the side. Use lots of hot chile sauce)
• Birria (Mexican, well-seasoned, pit barbecued goat – beef or veal will not do – , served with a really spicy salsa, see above.)
• Carne con Chile (Pork in a REALLY spicy – I mean burn your lips off – salsa)
• Tortas Ahogadas (Only found in the central plains of Mexico, a “salty” bolillo with the insides scooped out, filled with big hunks of pork, placed in a plastic bag and drenched with a tomato salsa (not spicy) and then a REALLY hot, see above, salsa.)

These last four will not really cure you, they simply shift the pain to another part of your body so you forget about your head for a while.

After any of these remedies, please drink lots of water and take a nice long nap – tomorrow will be better.

The post Mexican Hot . . Or Not! – A Drinking (Wo)Man’s Guide To Tequila appeared first on MexConnect.

Horchata is one of the most common table drinks in Mexico, usually served in pitchers to accompany the main meal, and is classified as an agua, like many Mexican fruit drinks. In some areas, horchata is made with dried melon seeds instead of rice. The following recipe is adapted from Adela Fernandez’ La Cocina Tradicional Mexicana.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 2 quarts water
• 1/8 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 cup sugar, or to taste
  

In a wire mesh strainer, rinse the rice under running water. Place it in bowl with water to cover and let it soak for 3 hours. Drain the rice.

Place the drained rice in a large saucepan with the 2 quarts of water, bring to a boil and cook until the rice is tender. Allow to cool, then pour the rice water through a wire mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.

Add the cinnamon, lime juice and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Serve very cold.

The post Refreshing Mexican rice beverage: Horchata de arroz appeared first on MexConnect.

This beverage was first made by the colonial-era nuns at the Convent of Santa Clara in Puebla, and the Santa Clara brand is still one of the most popular. It is fun and very easy to make at home. Unlike north-of-the-border eggnog, rompope already contains alcohol, although in a small proportion, so it does not require the addition of rum or brandy, as is the custom in the US.

Ingredients

• 2 quarts milk
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 12 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 cup grain alcohol (96 proof) or 2 cups rum
  

In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a boil with the baking soda and cinnamon. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Boil again, remove from heat, and cool again.

Stir in sugar, vanilla and beaten egg yolks. Return mixture to the heat and simmer over a medium flame, stirring constantly, until the bottom of the pan can be seen when stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Stir in grain alcohol or rum.

Makes 8-12 servings.

The post Puebla style eggnog: Rompope appeared first on MexConnect.