Colombian Agua de Panela: Hot Cane Sugar Drink with Lime, Ginger and Cinnamon

Combine the water, panela, ginger, cinnamon sticks and cloves in a saucepan over medium heat.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 6 ounces panela (unrefined cane sugar), chopped, or 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole cloves
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 lime, cut into wheels
• Pinch of salt
• Queso fresco or mozzarella cubes, for serving (optional)
• Pandebono or buttered toast, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine the water, panela, ginger, cinnamon sticks and cloves in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir occasionally until the panela has fully dissolved, about 5 minutes, then bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes so the ginger and spices infuse and the liquid turns a deep amber.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and a pinch of salt, which sharpens the caramel flavor of the panela.
5. Strain into mugs, discarding the ginger and spices. Float a lime wheel on each cup.
6. Serve steaming hot. For the classic Colombian treatment, drop a few cubes of mild white cheese into the cup and fish them out with a spoon once they soften and stretch.
7. Agua de panela is the everyday drink of Colombia, poured at breakfast tables, served to visitors and packed into thermoses for cold mornings in the Andes, where it is prized as much for energy as for warmth. Panela is cane juice boiled down and set into blocks without refining, so it tastes of molasses and caramel rather than plain sweetness. Spiked with ginger and lime it becomes a soothing remedy for chills, and with cheese melting in the bottom of the cup it turns into a snack that children across the country grow up on.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 160 kcal
• Protein: 0g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 41g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 40g
• Sodium: 45mg