Dessert
Guarapo (Fresh Sugarcane Juice)
- Preparation time
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
- Canne à sucre — to buy4 stalks
- Lime — to buy1
- Fresh mint — to buya few leaves
Preparation
Choose fresh, firm sugarcane stalks. Peel them with a knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the fibrous outer bark, until you see the fibrous white flesh underneath.
Cut the peeled cane into pieces about 10 cm long, thin enough to fit through a juicer or cane press — this pressing is what releases the sweet juice trapped inside the fibres.
Run the pieces through the press several times (or blend them finely with a little water, then strain through a clean cloth or fine sieve) to extract as much juice as possible.
Strain the juice through a fine sieve a second time to remove the last bits of fibre: it should be slightly cloudy but smooth.
Fill tall glasses with crushed ice, pour the guarapo over it and add a dash of lime juice to each glass: the acidity balances the very pronounced natural sweetness of the cane juice.
Serve immediately, well chilled, with a fresh mint leaf if you have some — guarapo loses its freshness quickly, it's best drunk within the hour after pressing.