Nicaraguan Cacao Drink - Refresco De Cacao
Enjoy chocolate in its purest form with this authentic Nicaraguan Cacao Refresco recipe! This refreshing drink is made with raw cacao beans, whole cinnamon sticks, vanilla and rice. Often compared to Mexico's Horchata, this Nicaraguan drink is delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of raw cacao nibs or cacao beans
- 1 cup of white rice (soaked overnight)
- 5 cups of milk
- 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cup of white sugar (sweeten to your taste)
- 1 stick of cinnamon + 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon (omit ground cinnamon, for less bold flavor)
Instructions
- Soak white rice overnight and drain before preparing cacao drink.
- Roast raw cacao nibs or beans in a saute pan on low heat from 5 minutes. Cacao should change to a deep chocolate color and begin to release it's fragrance.
- In a blender, add roasted cacao, soaked rice, water and cinnamon. Blend for 3 minutes until smooth.
- Strain cacao paste (once or twice) to remove the pulp, seeds and any other particles from the cacao liquid.
- Combined milk, sugar, vanilla extract with the cacao liquid and stir.
- Chill for 3 hours or serve with ice. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recommended Ingredients:
- Raw Cacao Nibs: https://amzn.to/3qfljhh
- Raw Cacao Beans: https://amzn.to/3e7e0G4
- Rich Saigon Cinnamon Sticks: https://amzn.to/32XPKTh
- Rich Saigon Cinnamon Powder: https://amzn.to/3qLurwf