Canelazo: Colombian Hot Cinnamon Toddy
Canelazo is a comforting, hot alcoholic beverage made from a sweet base of agua de panela (unrefined cane sugar tea) and potent aguardiente. While it might be a Caribbean Friday night for us, this drink is massively popular in the cold, mountainous Andean regions to warm up the body and get the party started!
The secret to this quick 15-minute recipe is heavily infusing the panela water with cinnamon sticks, and frosting the rim of the glass with lemon and sugar. Pouring the boiling, spiced liquid directly over the cold anise liquor creates an incredibly aromatic and warming cocktail.
Canelazo (Hot Cinnamon Toddy)
The ultimate Andean warmer! A hot cocktail made with sweet panela water, heavily infused with cinnamon, and spiked with Colombian aguardiente.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Water
- Colombian anise-flavored liquor Aguardiente, to taste
- 1 block Panela Unrefined cane sugar
- 6 Cinnamon sticks Astillas de canela
- 1 Lemon For juice and rimming
- Sugar For frosting the rim
Instructions
- Brew the base: The very first step is to place the 3 cups of water and the block of panela into a pot over heat to create the agua de panela. Add the 6 cinnamon sticks and let it simmer for a few minutes until the panela dissolves completely. (Chef's Hack: You can optionally add a splash of lemon juice directly into the boiling water for extra brightness!)
- Frost the glasses: While the liquid is boiling, prepare your glass cups. Moisten the rim of each glass using a wedge of lemon or lemon juice, then dip the rim into a shallow plate of sugar to frost it completely.
- Spiking the drink: Pour a shot (or your desired amount) of aguardiente directly into each sugar-frosted glass.
- Serve: Carefully pour the boiling hot, cinnamon-infused agua de panela into the glasses over the liquor. Serve immediately and drink it while it is hot!
Video
Notes
- Endless Variations: There is a massive variety of canelazo recipes. Depending on the region or country, some people boil aromatic herbs or fruit chunks into the water, and others substitute the aguardiente for different local liquors.
- Mountain Remedy: Because it is served piping hot, this beverage is consumed almost exclusively in cold-weather regions. In Colombia, it is immensely popular in departments like Boyacá to combat the chilling mountain altitudes.
- Latin American Heritage: This is not just a Colombian classic; it is a highly traditional Latin American drink prominently consumed and culturally beloved in countries like Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina as well!
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