Weekend Project: How To Make Your Own Chicha Morada Cocktail

[Celerity]

This Peruvian purple corn drink is perfect for the holiday season.

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/how-to-make-a-chicha-morada-cocktail-recipe



Every time my family from Peru visits us in Puerto Rico, I get excited about all of my favorite Peruvian drinks and snacks like chicha morada. If you know, you know. But if you don’t know, this ancient drink is basically Peruvian’s second blood. If you visit Peru, there’s no way you’re going to miss this purple drink because it is served at any kind of restaurant around the country and street vendors, too. You can find it in different varieties–natural or artificial– depending on where you get it. But what exactly is this drink made of and where does it come from?

The Real Academia Española (RAE) describes chicha as “an alcoholic beverage resulting from the fermentation of corn in sugar water, served in various countries in America.” It was used as a medicine prior to the Incan Empire and later consumed to celebrate their ceremonies. But chicha morada is one of the varieties of non-alcoholic chichas served around Peru. Although it’s not a fermented drink, according to researcher Sergio Zapata Acha’s book Dictionary of Traditional Peruvian Gastronomy, it was a slightly fermented beverage at one point in time.

Now chicha morada is a beverage generally made with boiled purple corn, pineapple skin, red apples, cinnamon, and cloves. Once filtered, sugar and lemon juice are added before serving. The result is basically an agua fresca that is equally refreshing and a cozy drink that can be paired with any dish and even served as an alcoholic cocktail — like a chicha morada pisco sour.

Purple corn comes from the Andean region of Peru and it is responsible for the famous deep purple hue that makes chicha morada visually stunning. Although this ingredient doesn’t necessarily enhance the flavor of the drink, studies have shown that the corn’s pigment acts like an antioxidant that could help to reduce the risk of cholesterol, high sugar levels, inflammation, and more.

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