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-Lauren
I wish I could pull from my memory bank when I linked together that chocolate came from cacao beans, from a magnificent storied tree that grew in the tropical areas of the world I had never touched foot in. I must have been very young and internalized this knowledge, making it a part of my far-removed yet understood truths of the supermarket—corn puffs came from corn, fruit roll-ups (partially) from fruit, bacon from pigs, and chocolate from cocoa/cacao. Something buried deep within my cacao-loving microbiome wants to believe it was a subtle or intentional teaching that I gleaned from summer visits to the Hershey’s factory, a two hour drive from my hometown. Or maybe there was an errant National Geographic magazine moving between the coffee table to the corner pile that contained the secrets of jungle findings, and the mysterious and pleasurable connection between ancient peoples, iconography, and cacao. I can’t be sure, and I lament not having that precise “origin story" embedded in my memory. Interestingly, I can recall the exact day and company, when I uncovered the association between what would become chocolate, and the sweet, acidic, floral, mucilaginous pulp enrobing the cacao beans. That moment was transcendental. These “aha moments” create unique brain pathways and memories, particularly when related to our gustatory system.
Cacao fruit pulp and the juice strained from it, is so far beyond our wildest dreams; the fact that what we know as bitter* is encapsulated in something so unique, so unlike its pod companion, shocks human tastebuds with disbelief and ecstasy. If theobroma cacao is the food of the Gods, the white fleshly pulp is an ambrosia with myriad possibilities in the culinary world—where up until now it has been scarcely used outside of the fortunate locals, farm producers/workers, and animals that have recognized this sweet treat and been within proximity to collect and enjoy it before it completely ferments. As soon as cacao pods are opened—all with varying amounts of pulp, seed size, and seed numbers to be sure—the sugars present within the mucilage begin to breakdown immediately. Those sugars and acids—prized for their catalyzing properties benefiting bean fermentation—offer important precursors for chocolate flavors to develop, and leave a very short window for draining the cacao seeds for access to their pulp, and what will then be frozen, bottled, or processed/freeze-dried (newly launched cane sugar alternative chocolates are being created from cacao fruit). For local and personal consumption, the fruit make take the form of cacao pulp smoothies, refrescos, or a fermented chicha (a beverage dating back millennia). In some cases it is used to create distilled spirits. But an extraordinary amount is lost (~70 liters per metric ton) in the run-off of the post-harvesting process, or intentionally discarded because the labor and machinery required to ensure the cacao beans are not grossly harmed or punctured, hermetic safekeeping, cold chain logistics, and a readied-market for sale are all lacking in the majority of cacao fermentation and production centers around the cocoa-belt. Maybe this will change in the coming years. A few entrepreneurial endeavors have surfaced to bring this bottled delight to more chocolate lovers and thirsty gourmands, to create for them what will undoubtedly generate their own “aha moments,” and I couldn’t be happier to see more potential for value addition at origin, as well as something so delectable not go to waste.
For this holiday season, I knew the gallons of eggnog painstakingly prepared by my Father days leading up to their annual holiday party, and that lived on the back porch at a cool 45°F/7°C during winter, was too thick and heavy for the parched Mediterranean climate I occupy now. I needed a holiday drink invented and mastered closer to the equator, one that incorporated non-dairy elements and the warming spices that make the holidays feel like a yearly hug, or maybe that’s the rum talking…but yes, all of those things. I knew Puerto Rico’s coquito would be the perfect base cocktail recipe to riff on—besides, I like the sound of it, like the words cadence and murmuration. Coquito has been compared to both eggnog, rompope (of Mexico), and Ponche a Crème (of Trinidad and the Caribbean)—although it doesn’t always contain eggs; coquito after all means little coconut. Like many of us, I am trying to incorporate more vegan items into my daily life and prospects for a future business and its costumers. Like you perhaps, I don’t believe we have to sacrifice anything lost in taste to accommodate this change in diet, habit and industry, more than anything however, we will have to break traditions, and that can be by and large a most difficult task when considering the holidays. Feasibly, this recipe may create new traditions for you, steeped with Christmas customs observed on the island of Rich Port.
This being a cacao/chocolate newsletter, I needed—wanted—cacao to shine. I’ve had my eyes on Pacha de Cacao for a couple years now; but after a name change, they officially launched last year amidst the pandemic. Marika van Santvoort, founder of Pacha de Cacao and co-founder of Gaia Cacao, is a choco-amiga based in Amsterdam with a passion for all things fair and innovative. I have enjoyed watching her and colleagues develop this value-added product, and took advantage of European shipping options to get these delivered from the Netherlands to Spain (I won’t even bore you trying to imagine how I’d do that from the US or Ecuador as customs has really ramped up recently, particularly for foodstuffs).
It is incredibly exciting to think about the future of cacao products—from whole tree to bar and beyond. The community uses #beantobar quite frivolously, sometimes religiously, but the true potential of all that the cacao plant abundantly offers us, and could offer if properly valued, bred, and cared for, is staggering. There are other “aha moments” when you scratch your head considering the impact lost and incomes not generated because of our nearsightedness as an industry singularly seeking just the beans. I personally would love to see fruit snacks and gummies hit the market (pâte de fruit is just too much sugar in my opinion); cacao pulp has about as much naturally occurring pectin as cherries or apricots. Imagine children understanding the importance of biodiversity and conservation when they could link the utility and wonder of two—or more—distinctly flavored products to a single plant. Heck, even adults could learn a thing or two about this through some post-workout gumdrops. Alas, we’ll surely have more posts and future interviews to cry over spilt juice, but for now, on to the recipe.
Coquito (de Cacao)
Makes: ~1 liter or 4 drinks, ~220ml per glass
Time: 15 minutes, plus 4-8 passive hours in the fridge
What you’ll need:
1 clean 1.5 L bottle
funnel
(day of serving); a pitcher, chilled serving glasses, and a microplane
Ingredients
300ml coconut milk (about 1 can)
500ml cacao juice (2 bottles of Pacha de Cacao cacao fruit juice)
150ml almond milk
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick cinnamon (for infusing)
95ml white rum (for a stronger kick, pour in 4x 1.5oz jiggers/180ml)
1 1/2 tablespoons potato starch, optional (creates a more nog like consistency)
Method:
1) Weigh out and prepare all of your ingredients.
:: If using the potato starch :: In a shallow bowl, create a slurry mixing the starch with 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk and ground cinnamon. Transfer the mixture to a small sauce pot and bring to a boil while stirring continuously to remove any clumps. It should thicken quickly, in 1-2 minutes, but if it’s looking dry, add another tablespoon of coconut milk. Once it’s boiling, pour in the almond milk and incorporate. Turn off the heat and let cool a few minutes.
2) Proceed to add all of the liquids to the bottle with a funnel; the rest of the milk, juice, rum, and slurry blend.
3) Add the cinnamon, remove the funnel, and cover. Give a few hard shakes. (alternatively, you could do this in a blender first before adding the cinnamon stick).
4) Reserve in the refrigerator at least 4-6 hours**
5) To serve, remove from the refrigerator and shake well again. Strain into a serving pitcher to capture the cinnamon stick, any agglomerations of starch, and avoid spilling on the glasses. Then pour into the 4 individual chilled whiskey glasses, or take the pitcher to the guests for table-side pouring.
6) Grate cinnamon or nutmeg (or un poquito de los dos) atop each beverage.
Salud!
**consume within 48 hours after preparing
*bitter; I detest this word association with fine chocolates, but for certain (most) cacao beans I’m okay with it (still in moderation).
This recipe was developed by Lauren Heineck and is the intellectual property of WKND Chocolate / Conversations in Cocoa. Please credit laurenonthewknd.substack.com / @wkndchocolate @laurenonthewknd if sharing this post outside of this link. Unauthorized re-publication is not permitted.