Ingredients
Juice
- 4 stalksfresh sugarcane, about 2 kg
- 2limes
- plenty of ice
Equipment
- a sugarcane mill, or a strong masticating juicer
Directions
- Choose canes that feel heavy for their size, with tight nodes and no cracks or mould. Dry, split or sour-smelling cane gives bitter juice and no amount of lime will fix it.
- Wash the stalks thoroughly under running water, scrubbing the nodes, where dirt collects.
- If you are using a domestic juicer, strip the hard outer rind off with a heavy knife. A proper mill crushes the whole stalk and needs no peeling.
- Cut the cane into lengths that fit your mill or juicer.
- Press it. A mill passes the same stalk through three or four times, and the later pressings are noticeably sweeter than the first.
- Press to order and drink it within about fifteen minutes. Sugarcane juice oxidises very fast, turning grey-green and losing its fresh grassy taste, which is exactly why the mills stand at the front of the stall rather than out of sight in a kitchen.
- Strain through a fine sieve to catch the fibre.
- Squeeze in half a lime per glass, pour over plenty of ice, and serve at once. The lime is not a garnish: it holds the colour and cuts a sweetness that is otherwise relentless.
- Drink it standing up beside a pastel at a São Paulo street market, which is its proper setting.
Technique
- Press it, strain it, drink it. Every minute between those steps costs you flavour.
- The juice separates and darkens in the fridge within an hour. It is not a drink you make ahead.
- Known as garapa in parts of Brazil, and sold under that name.
Substitutions
- Bottled pasteurised cane juice, which is stable and noticeably duller.
- Frozen cane juice, which is better than bottled if you can find it.
Variations
- With a piece of ginger fed through the mill alongside the cane.
- With pineapple, pressed together for caldo de cana com abacaxi.
- With a squeeze of passion fruit.
History
Crushed in mills at markets and fairs and drunk beside a pastel in São Paulo.
Frequently asked questions
What is Caldo de cana?
Caldo de cana is a drink from Brazil: sugarcane juice pressed to order, served ice cold with lime. Crushed in mills at markets and fairs and drunk beside a pastel in São Paulo.
How long does Caldo de cana take to make?
Caldo de cana takes 15 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 4 glasses. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Caldo de cana?
Yes, within limits. Bottled pasteurised cane juice, which is stable and noticeably duller. Frozen cane juice, which is better than bottled if you can find it.
What is the most important thing to get right in Caldo de cana?
If you are using a domestic juicer, strip the hard outer rind off with a heavy knife. A proper mill crushes the whole stalk and needs no peeling.
