Jugo de Ciruela Cocota: Colombian Jocote Plum Juice
Jugo de Ciruela Cocota (also known as Fresco de Ciruela) is a tremendously popular, sweet, and tangy tropical beverage consumed heavily along the Colombian Caribbean coast and the Norte de Santander department. Made from small, highly flavorful tropical plums, this vibrant yellow drink is the ultimate afternoon thirst-quencher.
The secret to this rapid 15-minute recipe is manually macerating the ripe plums to perfectly separate the rich pulp from the large central seeds before blending. Mixed with ice and sweetened to perfection, this foolproof juice yields a massive, refreshing batch perfect for pairing with any weekend lunch!
Jugo de Ciruela Cocota (Jocote Plum Juice)
A sweet, tangy, and incredibly refreshing tropical plum juice! Manually extracted plum pulp blended with cold water, sugar, and crushed ice.
Utensils and Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 25 Large ripe ciruelas cocotas (Jocote / Spanish Plums)
- 2 Liters Water
- 1 lb Sugar
- Crushed ice
Instructions
- Wash the fruit: The very first step is to thoroughly wash the fresh ciruelas cocotas with plenty of clean water.
- Macerate the plums: Place the clean plums into a large bowl or container and add just a splash of water. Using a traditional wooden molinillo (or simply using your clean hands), aggressively beat and squeeze the fruit until the juicy pulp completely separates from the hard seeds.
- Strain the pulp: As you macerate the fruit, continuously remove and discard the bare seeds. You should be left with a thick, heavy fruit base (colada). Pass this base through a strainer to ensure no stray seed fragments remain.
- Blend and sweeten: Transfer the smooth, strained plum pulp to your blender. Add the 2 liters of water, the sugar to taste, and the crushed ice. Blend everything on high speed until perfectly smooth and frothy. (Chef's Hack: If your blender is small, you can blend the juice without the ice and simply pour it over ice later).
- Serve: Serve immediately in large glass pitchers or individual cups, and enjoy this incredibly refreshing tropical juice!
Video
Notes
- Many Names: Depending on the country or region, the ciruela cocota is also widely known by other traditional names such as ciruela de huesito (little bone plum) or Jocote.
- The Milky Variation: While this water-based fresco is the standard, you can completely transform this recipe by substituting the water for milk and adding a pinch of ground cinnamon, creating a rich, creamy plum shake!
- International Appeal: Beyond Colombia, this specific fruit and the resulting refreshing juice are immensely popular across Ecuador, Mexico, and a large portion of Central America.
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