Rompopo

Ingredients

Base

• 1 litrewhole milk
• 250 gcaster sugar
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1strip of lime peel
• a pinch of salt

Eggs

• 12egg yolks

To flavour

• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1/2 tspgrated nutmeg
• 1/4 tspground cinnamon

Spirit

• 250 mlwhite rum, or aguardiente

Sometimes added

• 80 gground almonds
• 1 tbspcornflour, to thicken

Equipment

• a thermometer
• sterilised bottles

Directions

1. Put the milk in a heavy pan with the cinnamon stick and lime peel. Add the salt and half the sugar. Heat it slowly until it is steaming but not boiling. Take it off the heat and let it infuse for twenty minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and the lime peel.
2. Whisk the yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and thick. This takes about four minutes with a whisk. Whisk in the cornflour if you are using it. Tempering the yolks is what prevents scrambling.
3. Pour a ladleful into the yolks while whisking hard. Add another ladleful and whisk again. Set the pan over a very low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not let it boil at any point. Cook it until it reaches 82 degrees. Without a thermometer, cook until it coats the back of a spoon.
4. Take it off the heat immediately if you see any graininess. Whisk it hard or blend it briefly. Pour the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl.
5. Let the custard cool to lukewarm. Adding rum to a hot custard boils off some of the alcohol. Stir in the vanilla, nutmeg and ground cinnamon. Add the rum a little at a time, stirring as you go.
6. Taste it as you add it, since strength is a matter of preference. Add the ground almonds now if you are using them. It should be thick enough to coat a glass.
7. Pour it into sterilised bottles. It keeps for two weeks in the fridge. Shake it before pouring, since it separates. Serving it is done cold in small glasses. Serve it chilled, in small measures. Grate a little nutmeg over each glass. It is very rich and very sweet, so a small glass is enough.

Technique

• Cook the yolks into a custard to 82C rather than using them raw, which carries a salmonella risk.
• Never let the custard boil, since it scrambles the yolks instantly.
• Cool the custard before adding the rum, or the alcohol boils off and it may curdle.

Substitutions

• Aguardiente in place of rum, which is also traditional.
• Pasteurised egg yolks if you insist on a raw version.

Variations

• With ground almonds for a richer drink.
• Made stronger, with more rum.
• Made without alcohol, as a thick spiced custard drink.

History

Convent nuns in colonial Antigua are credited with the recipe; bottles appear on every table at Christmas.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rompopo?

Rompopo is a cocktail from Guatemala: thick yellow drink of egg yolk, milk, sugar and rum, sipped small. Convent nuns in colonial Antigua are credited with the recipe; bottles appear on every table at Christmas.

How long does Rompopo take to make?

Rompopo takes 20 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 litre. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Rompopo?

Yes, within limits. Aguardiente in place of rum, which is also traditional. Pasteurised egg yolks if you insist on a raw version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Rompopo?

Pour a ladleful into the yolks while whisking hard. Add another ladleful and whisk again. Set the pan over a very low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not let it boil at any point. Cook it until it reaches 82 degrees. Without a thermometer, cook until it coats the back of a spoon.