Cebadina de León

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart saucepan for barley
• •Small saucepan for tamarind
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Large glass vitrolero or clean 1-gallon jar
• •Tall glasses and a small measuring spoon for bicarbonato

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the barley

   Put the rinsed cebada perlada in a saucepan with 5 cups of water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, until the grains open slightly and the liquid looks cloudy and pearly. Strain and keep the barley water. The cooked grain can go into soup or atole. Here, what we want is the body it leaves behind.

2. 2

   Steep the jamaica

   Bring 4 cups of water just to a boil, turn off the heat, and add the flor de jamaica. Cover and steep 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the flowers lightly. The liquid should be deep ruby, tart, and clean. Do not boil jamaica until it tastes harsh. A drink should refresh you, not punish you.

3. 3

   Soften the tamarind

   Put the tamarind pulp in a small pot with 3 cups of water. Simmer 10 minutes, then mash it with a wooden spoon until the sour pulp loosens from the fibers and seeds. Strain well. Tamarind gives cebadina its backbone, that sharp sourness under the sugar. Without it, you are making sweet jamaica water.

4. 4

   Combine the base

   In a clean glass vitrolero or large jar, combine the warm barley water, jamaica tea, tamarind water, chopped pineapple, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste it now. It should be sweeter than you want the final drink because the rest and the ice will soften it.

   Use ripe pineapple that smells sweet at the stem. If the pineapple smells like cardboard, don't pretend. Ask the women at the market which one is ready today.
5. 5

   Rest the cebadina

   Cover the jar with a clean cloth or loose lid and leave it at cool room temperature for 24 to 36 hours. Stir once or twice. It should smell fruity, tart, and lightly fermented, never moldy or rotten. This rest is what ties the barley, jamaica, tamarind, and pineapple together. No me vengas con atajos.

6. 6

   Strain and chill

   Strain the cebadina through a fine sieve into a clean pitcher, pressing the pineapple lightly. Refrigerate until very cold. Taste again. If it is too strong, add cold water a half cup at a time. If it is too sharp, add a little more cane sugar and stir until dissolved. The flavor should be tart first, sweet second.

7. 7

   Foam each glass

   Fill a tall glass with crushed ice and pour in the cold cebadina. Add a small pinch of food-grade sodium bicarbonate, about 1/8 teaspoon per 12-ounce glass, and stir once. The drink will foam immediately. Serve it right then. The bicarbonato belongs in the glass, never in the pitcher. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Use whole flor de jamaica that is dark burgundy and still smells tart. If the flowers are dusty brown and smell like old paper, leave them with the vendor.
• •Do not add bicarbonato to the pitcher. It will foam once, go flat, and leave a dull mineral taste. The little pinch goes into each glass at the last second.
• •Food-grade sodium bicarbonate only. A heavy hand makes the drink taste soapy. The señora in León uses a pinch because she knows her work. Copy that.
• •If you use pineapple peel, scrub it well and cut away bruised spots. If the peel is waxed or tired, use fresh pineapple flesh and core instead. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade, but it is better than dirty fruit.

Advance Preparation

• •The cebadina base can be made 2 days ahead. Once strained, keep it refrigerated and add bicarbonato only when serving.
• •The barley water, jamaica tea, and tamarind water can be prepared one day ahead and combined with pineapple and sugar the next morning.
• •Keep the finished base refrigerated up to 5 days. If it smells sharply alcoholic, moldy, or unpleasant, throw it out. Saber cocinar es saber vivir, and that includes knowing when not to serve something.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)