4 Tasty and Easy Colombian Drinks to Make At Home
- Mar 11, 2021
- 3 min read
These Colombian drinks are super easy to make if you’re looking to change up your beverage routine or simply want to try something new. Three out of four of these recipes are from a website I visit often called My Colombian Recipes, where they provide a short description of the plate or beverage and very easy steps to follow. You can find the ingredients for these drinks in most stores, but for a one-stop trip your best bet is Compare Foods or your local Hispanic store.
Refajo
If you are looking for a refreshing drink with a kick then this is the drink for you. I usually have refajos during asados (cookouts) or when I’m chilling with friends and family outside. All you have to do is mix Colombiana (orange soda) and your choice of beer. I don’t like the overpowering taste of beer so we use Corona Lite. If you want to spike the drink even more you can add shots of Aguardiente, which is Colombian liquor.
Tip: If you are in Colombia this is a very popular drink that you can buy already made, commonly called Pola y Cola.
Hot Chocolate
If you read my previous post about hot chocolate, A Weird Drink That You Won't Be Able To Get Enough Of, then you know how much I love this drink. In case you missed it, you can read about it here. You can make this hot chocolate with water (which will be less creamy) or with milk. I usually make it with oat milk and it is just as good!
Made with milk:
Made with water:
Tip: Serve with cheese and bread!
Salpicon
This is a great summer drink that always brings back memories of playing outside with my brothers until it was too dark to see. I can still hear my mom calling us from the kitchen to let us know that el salpicon was ready. This drink is made with a variety of chopped fruits, orange juice, a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and, to finish it off, a rolled wafer cookie. It is the perfect drink/dessert to cool down after a long day in the heat.
Tip: While my mom would make this using orange juice, the recipe on My Colombian Recipes calls for Colombian Soda or watermelon juice. I prefer the tangier taste, so I recommend using orange juice when you first try it.
Tinto
My mom makes this almost every morning and it fills the whole house with the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Tinto is a Colombian black coffee sweetened with sugar cane. It is strong but the panela (sugar cane) reduces the bitter taste. I didn’t find a recipe that was similar to how I grew up drinking it, so here’s how to make it like my mom does:
Ingredients:
Panela (unrefined whole cane sugar)
Ground coffee of your choice
Water
*you’ll need an olleta (found at Compare Foods or a Hispanic market) to make this drink, see picture below*
Place the olleta over medium heat and add the water up to the first indentation. You do not want to fill it with too much water, otherwise, when it boils it can spill over.
Add one small square of panela and wait until it has melted, the water should be a clear brown with no lumps.
Add 3 tablespoons of coffee and stir (if you want it to be stronger add 4 tablespoons).
For this part, you really have to be attentive or you can have a big mess on your hands. Wait until the coffee starts bubbling and, once it looks like it does in the video, turn off the stove quickly.
Let it cool for 3-5 minutes so that the coffee grounds can fall to the bottom of the pot.
Pour and enjoy!
Comments