flipCanelazo for cold nights
Canelazo for cold nights
Why this dish? Quito is a high-altitude city with freezing nights. Canelazo — cane liquor, cinnamon, panela, and naranjilla juice — warmed the evening vigils, patriot conspiracies, and celebrations. A perfect evening drink for a woman who kept a salon and counted more than one conspirator among her guests.
A burning hot infusion of cinnamon sweetened with panela, tart with naranjilla, and spiked with a shot of aguardiente: the Andean grog against the cold of the highlands.
Quito nights bite to the bone, you know — so when my guests plotted late for the cause, I had the canelazo brought up steaming. We make the cinnamon sing in water with panela, sour it with naranjilla, and at the last moment pour the aguardiente that warms the heart as much as the throat. Drink it burning, my friend, and keep a cool head: more than one secret has slipped out at the bottom of this glass.
- •Water — as needed (base)
- •Cinnamon sticks — several (master spice)
- •Panela (unrefined cane sugar) — to taste (sweetness)
- •Naranjilla (lulo) juice — a good glass (acidity)
- •Cane aguardiente — a shot (alcohol)
Canelazo for cold nights
A burning hot infusion of cinnamon sweetened with panela, tart with naranjilla, and spiked with a shot of aguardiente: the Andean grog against the cold of the highlands.
Why this dish? Quito is a high-altitude city with freezing nights. Canelazo — cane liquor, cinnamon, panela, and naranjilla juice — warmed the evening vigils, patriot conspiracies, and celebrations. A perfect evening drink for a woman who kept a salon and counted more than one conspirator among her guests.
Quito nights bite to the bone, you know — so when my guests plotted late for the cause, I had the canelazo brought up steaming. We make the cinnamon sing in water with panela, sour it with naranjilla, and at the last moment pour the aguardiente that warms the heart as much as the throat. Drink it burning, my friend, and keep a cool head: more than one secret has slipped out at the bottom of this glass.
Ingredients (period version)
- Water — as needed (base)
- Cinnamon sticks — several (master spice)
- Panela (unrefined cane sugar) — to taste (sweetness)
- Naranjilla (lulo) juice — a good glass (acidity)
- Cane aguardiente — a shot (alcohol)
Ingredients
- Water — 1 liter (base)
- Cinnamon sticks — 3 (spice)
- Panela or brown sugar — 100 g (sweetness)
- Naranjilla juice (or substitute passion fruit + lime) — 150 ml (acidity)
- Aguardiente (or white rum) — 60–100 ml (adult version)
Method
- Boil water with cinnamon sticks and panela for about ten minutes until intensely fragrant.
- Strain, add naranjilla juice, and heat without boiling.
- Off the heat, add aguardiente for the adult version (omit for children).
- Serve piping hot in cups, with a cinnamon stick.
How it was made : Canelazo is still prepared exactly this way in the sierra today. Cane aguardiente and panela were produced locally since colonial times; naranjilla, a tart Andean fruit, provided freshness. It was served at evening gatherings and festivals to combat the high-altitude cold.
The contemporary twist : Non-alcoholic 'children's canelazo' served in a steaming cup with a star anise, perfect for a classroom tasting.
Manuela Sáenz · Charactorium
