The Other Side of the Tortilla
Mexican recipes, culture and travel destinations
Why use a juicer instead of a blender? While the blender does the job OK, the process of filtering the pulp through a mesh sieve can be a lot messier, and also take more time. The end result is that your juice has some pulp that you really don’t want in an agua fresca. …
In fact, it’s similar to a limonada, but with salt instead of sugar. It’s a very simple recipe and surely you’ll already have all the ingredients, but it’s the best remedy for a hangover.
And it’s not to be confused with buttermilk, which is another meaning of the word “suero” in Mexico.
RELATED: The Best Mexican Hangover Cures
What’s awesome about this drink is that it can also be used to help you recover from a run or an intense workout! The salt helps you retain liquids after you’ve been dehydrated.
Sick with the flu? This is also helpful for staying properly hydrated.
Remember: table salt tastes saltier than Kosher salt (which is what I usually cook with). Start with 3/4 of a teaspoon and add more if necessary if you plan to use table salt.
And if you’ve got some digestive issues, a little watermelon and aloe vera juice for a couple of days can help you get back to normal once you’re rehydrated.
Prep
Total
Yield 1 serving
The Mexican hangover cure that gives Gatorade a run for its money.
Courses Drink
Cuisine Mexican
If you’re suffering from serious dehydration, please be smart and consult a physician.
We’ve all been there. You had too much fun, and you’re paying the price the day after. You might even have what my friend Victor calls “cruda del agua,” which is when you’re so hungover that you can’t even keep water down. That’s the worst, and if that’s the case, as soon as you can hold anything down, try the recipe for suero below before you eat anything.
A few notes: I’m not a doctor and this isn’t medical advice. Some say they benefit from taking an antacid after a night of heavy drinking before consuming anything with tomato or chile to aid in curing a hangover because they’re acidic and sometimes can provoke heartburn and acid reflux.
Best remedy for the kind of hangover that makes you vomit:
Suero is like homemade Mexican Gatorade. In fact, it’s similar to a limonada, but with salt instead of sugar. It’s a very simple recipe and surely you’ll already have all the ingredients, but it’s the best remedy for ANY hangover. (And it can also be used to help you recover from a workout!) The salt helps you retain liquids after you’ve been dehydrated. Remember: table salt tastes saltier than Kosher salt (which is what I usually cook with). Start with 3/4 of a teaspoon and add more if necessary….
Several years ago, I was able to copy down abuelita’s recipe for rompope (which was for a very large crowd, based on the portions) from a typewriter-written version in a family recipe book at my mother-in-law’s house. Thinking it was going to be difficult, I didn’t make it until a few years later. It was then that I discovered the recipe wasn’t quite complete, the directions were sparse and it didn’t taste right on the first try. So I got to work in my kitchen, testing and tasting until it seemed right to us.
RELATED RECIPE: Ponche navideño
I’ve amended abuelita’s recipe slightly to my personal taste but so it still maintains its authenticity, and reduced the quantity of the original recipe to make a smaller batch in case we didn’t go through it quickly enough. I recommend if you’ll be drinking your rompope solo, half-cup servings are best, and this recipe makes eight half-cup servings. If you’ll be serving a small crowd, make double the recipe and just refrigerate any leftover rompope.
One year, José’s Tía Annette hosted a fabulously catered posada, which is where I learned to put rompope in my coffee or make lattes with it. I’ve done it every December since!
RELATED RECIPE: Spicy Mexican hot chocolate
A few notes:
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 cups
Mexican eggnog, called rompope, is a popular drink during the holidays.
The rompope tastes better on the second day, as the alcohol settles with the other ingredients. If it doesn’t taste boozy enough to you at first, wait to add any more alcohol until at least the day after.
Serving Size 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
RELATED RECIPE: Champurrado
Who doesn’t love a good café con leche? I have one a few days each week, but I almost always make them at home instead of buying them. My mom and I share a love for making copycat recipes at home. It’s become almost a game between us, and has been for many years. Why pay $6 or more for a large coffee house drink I can make better at home, and for much less money per serving?
This post is part of a compensated campaign with Nestlé El Mejor Nido. All opinions and the recipe here are my own.
I definitely inherited my mom’s gift for recreating recipes, so I’m grateful that she shared her love of cooking and experimenting in the kitchen with me. I created this frozen café con leche with my mom in mind. She usually will ask me what kind of coffee I’m drinking lately, and then she gets hooked on it too. So even when we can’t have a cafecito together, we can at least enjoy the same drink despite the miles between us.
RELATED RECIPE: Mexican mocha latte…
RELATED RECIPE: Café de olla
When I first moved to Los Angeles, a dear friend of mine introduced me to a Mexican bakery near where I’d be working. The first time she took me there, I ordered a drink similar to this recipe, called a Café Oaxaca, and have been making them at home ever since. In my first months in LA, I visited the bakery frequently because it was like a home base; a familiar place where I knew I’d find things I like. On days I felt like I was having a hard time adjusting to my new surroundings, I’d go to the bakery with my laptop, order this Mexican mocha and a piece of pan dulce, and I’d start to feel better.
A caffè mocha (a coffee creation which is similar to a drink called a mochaccino, the cappuccino version) is traditionally defined as espresso, chocolate and hot milk; it’s a chocolate-flavored variant of the standard caffè latte. Mexican chocolate gives this coffee drink a special twist, as the chocolate normally used is a chocolate syrup….
