Ingredients
Base
- 300 gpapelón or panela, grated or broken up
- 500 mlhot water
To finish
- 1.5 litrescold water
- juice of 6 limes, about 150 ml
- plenty of ice
Optional
- a few mint leaves
- a strip of lime zest
- a pinch of salt
Directions
- Break the papelón cone up with a heavy knife or grate it, which is easier than it sounds if you work at the edges.
- Pour the hot water over it in a jug and stir until completely dissolved. Dissolve it fully in hot water first. Strain the syrup through a sieve if there is any grit, which unrefined sugar often has.
- Cool it before adding the lime. Hot liquid dulls fresh citrus and cooks the aroma straight out of it. Squeeze the limes just before mixing.
- Squeeze them fresh and strain out the pips. Do not squeeze the limes to the last drop, because the white pith at the base makes the drink bitter.
- Combine the cooled syrup, the cold water and the lime juice. It should be sour first and sweet second, and it should be noticeably tart.
- Chill it thoroughly, for at least 2 hours. Serve over plenty of ice in a tall glass, with a mint leaf if you like.
- Add the ice to the glass rather than the jug, so the drink does not dilute while it sits. A hot version, papelón caliente, is drunk in the cooler Andean regions, sometimes with a stick of cinnamon.
Technique
- Panela, piloncillo, rapadura and jaggery are all essentially the same product under regional names.
- It keeps three or four days in the fridge and the lime dulls slightly.
- A splash of rum makes it a very good long drink.
Substitutions
- Panela, piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar.
- Lemon in place of lime, which is less floral.
Variations
- Served hot with cinnamon in the Andes.
- With mint or ginger infused into the syrup.
- With rum, as a simple cocktail.
History
Unrefined cane sugar loaf dissolved with lime and water, the everyday cooler of Venezuela’s cane-growing lowlands.
Frequently asked questions
What is Papelón con limón?
Papelón con limón is a drink from Venezuela: raw cane sugar dissolved with lime juice over ice. Unrefined cane sugar loaf dissolved with lime and water, the everyday cooler of Venezuela’s cane-growing lowlands.
How long does Papelón con limón take to make?
Papelón con limón takes 10 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Papelón con limón?
Yes, within limits. Panela, piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar. Lemon in place of lime, which is less floral.
What is the most important thing to get right in Papelón con limón?
Squeeze them fresh and strain out the pips. Do not squeeze the limes to the last drop, because the white pith at the base makes the drink bitter.
