Ingredients
Cane
- 3 kgfresh sugarcane stalks
To finish
- juice of 2 limes
- ice cubes
For the fermented version
- the fresh juice
- a clean jar and a cloth cover
Equipment
- a cane press, or a heavy juicer and a strong sieve
Directions
- Cut the stalks into lengths of about thirty centimetres. Strip off the hard outer rind with a heavy knife, working away from yourself.
- Cut the peeled cane into batons that will fit your press or juicer. If you have no press, chop the cane small and work it through a strong masticating juicer.
- Strain the juice through a fine sieve or a cloth to catch the fibre. The juice should be pale grey-green and will look cloudy, which is normal.
- Squeeze the lime juice into the strained cane juice and stir it. Pour it over plenty of ice into tall glasses. Drink it within an hour, since it darkens and sours quickly at room temperature.
- Keep it refrigerated if you are not drinking it at once. Pour the fresh juice into a clean jar, filling it no more than three quarters.
- Cover the jar with a cloth rather than a lid, since gas must escape. Leave it at room temperature for one to three days. It will bubble and turn sour and slightly alcoholic within a day in warm weather.
- Taste it each day, since it moves quickly from sweet to sour to vinegar. Discard it if any fuzzy mould forms on the surface. Serve either version very cold, which is the whole point in the heat.
Technique
- Scrub the cane hard and drink the juice fresh, since oral Chagas transmission through contaminated cane juice is documented.
- Lime is structural rather than optional, since plain cane juice is cloying.
- The fermented version contains alcohol and turns to vinegar within days.
Substitutions
- A masticating juicer in place of a cane press.
- Bottled cane juice, though it is heat-treated and tastes flatter.
Variations
- Guarapo fermentado, left one to three days.
- With ginger pressed through with the cane.
- Guarapo de piña, made from pineapple skins instead of cane.
History
Cane juice pressed at trapiche mills has quenched thirst on Colombian farms since colonial sugar planting; fermented versions were a peasant drink.
Frequently asked questions
What is Guarapo?
Guarapo is a drink from Colombia: fresh sugarcane juice with lime, sometimes left to ferment lightly, sold at markets. Cane juice pressed at trapiche mills has quenched thirst on Colombian farms since colonial sugar planting; fermented versions were a peasant drink.
How long does Guarapo take to make?
Guarapo takes 20 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 litre. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Guarapo?
Yes, within limits. A masticating juicer in place of a cane press. Bottled cane juice, though it is heat-treated and tastes flatter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Guarapo?
Cover the jar with a cloth rather than a lid, since gas must escape. Leave it at room temperature for one to three days. It will bubble and turn sour and slightly alcoholic within a day in warm weather.
