Spiced Aguardiente Cocktail (Canelazo)
A steaming mug of panela simmered with cinnamon and cloves, spiked with Colombian aguardiente. The classic drink that warms you from the inside on cold Andean nights.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Dissolve the panela
In a medium pot, combine the water, , cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange peel. Set over medium heat and stir now and then until the dissolves completely and the water comes to a boil.
- 1.2 litres water
- 200 g
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 strip orange peel
✅ Done when: the panela has fully dissolved and the liquid is bubbling
Simmer to infuse
Lower the heat so the liquid just simmers, uncovered, for 15 minutes. This slow simmer is what pulls the real flavour out of the cinnamon and cloves instead of just sweet water.
✅ Done when: the liquid is deep amber in colour and smells strongly of warm cinnamon
Strain
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Add the aguardiente
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Serve hot
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Dissolve the panela
In a medium pot, combine the water, , cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange peel. Set over medium heat and stir now and then until the dissolves completely and the water comes to a boil.
- 1.2 litres water
- 200 g
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 strip orange peel
✅ Done when: the panela has fully dissolved and the liquid is bubbling
Simmer to infuse
Lower the heat so the liquid just simmers, uncovered, for 15 minutes. This slow simmer is what pulls the real flavour out of the cinnamon and cloves instead of just sweet water.
✅ Done when: the liquid is deep amber in colour and smells strongly of warm cinnamon
Strain
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Add the aguardiente
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Serve hot
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The Story Behind the Dish
Canelazo grew out of the cold páramo towns of the Colombian Andes, where panela, boiled down from sugarcane juice, was already a daily staple for warming food and drink. Cinnamon, brought in through colonial trade, was added to make a fragrant hot syrup, and aguardiente, Colombia's home-grown anise spirit, turned it into a proper cocktail.
It became the standard drink for chilly nights, mountain festivals and long walks at altitude, sold hot from thermoses and street carts in cities like Bogotá and Pasto.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is the drink Colombians reach for the moment the temperature drops, equal parts dessert, medicine and party fuel.
💡 Fun Fact
In some highland towns, canelazo is served without alcohol to children and elders, with the aguardiente added only to the adults' cups at the table.
Colombian Andean highlands (Boyacá, Nariño, Cundinamarca)
4.71°N, -74.07°W
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