Rompope Poblano

Rompope belongs to Puebla, to the convent kitchens where Spanish dairy, Mexican vanilla, sugar, egg yolks, and canela were turned into something disciplined and dangerous in small glasses. This is not a milkshake. This is a cooked custard liqueur. Treat it that way.

The technique is patience. Milk is simmered with canela, sugar, and vanilla until it smells like a Puebla sweet shop near the convents. Then the egg yolks are tempered slowly, spoon by spoon, because scrambled egg in rompope is a failure you can taste. The women who perfected this were not improvising. They were running precise kitchens behind thick walls.

I use real canela, the soft Mexican cinnamon that breaks easily, and vanilla from Papantla when I can get it. Veracruz gives the perfume, Puebla gives the method. Cada estado, su propia cocina. Serve it cold, in small glasses, preferably with talavera on the table. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.