Jugo de Tamarindo (Tamarind Drink)
Today, we will make a delicious, refreshing tropical climate beverage called Jugo De Tamarindo, using tamarind fruit.
It’s an uber-refreshing sweetened tamarind drink that takes less than 30 minutes to make and is a very popular drink across Latin America. It is perfect for a delicious boost!
Give it a try, and let me know what you think! And don’t forget to check out the many other refreshing juices I have on my site. Some fan favorites include this tasty Cantaloupe Melon Juice, Sugar-Free Pineapple Cucumber Juice, or Homemade Apple Juice.
What Is Jugo De Tamarindo?
Jugo de Tamarindo, a beloved tamarind drink, graces the tables of the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, and beyond. Crafted from tamarind pulp, water, and a hint of sweetener, it’s an ice-cold treat ideal for hot summer days, often enhanced with a splash of lime juice for extra zest.
This drink’s global footprint extends to Spain, Puerto Rico, and countries influenced by Spanish or Mexican cultures, even reaching African shores. The preparation method varies—some prefer soaking the pulp for hours for a raw version, while others blend and strain for quick refreshment.
How Do You Prepare It?
Peeling tamarind, you can simply crack the shell of the fresh tamarind pods. Then, peel it away with your fingers and discard the hard shells. You will see some stringy bits come off along with the peeled tamarind pods. These should be removed, too.
You will instantly feel the pasty puree on the inside, which is the tamarind pulp. Keep removing any string bits until the paste is clean.
Set it aside and repeat this process with the tamarind pods until you have the amount of tamarind paste that you need.
Tips And Tricks For Making Jugo De Tamarindo
- First and foremost, you can play around with the amount of sugar you add to your tamarind drink. Many people even prefer tamarindo agua without any sugar and some like extra lime juice.
- With that said, if you still want the sweetness without the calories, you can also use a low-calorie alternative, like Xylitol.
- It’s best to choose the darkest tamarinds. The darker the color, the riper the paste is, and the sweeter the fruit will be. Unripe tamarind paste is green and extremely sour. If you are working with tamarind pods, the ripe ones are usually very hard and crack easily. The unripe shells are soft and won’t cleanly crack.
- And finally, if you are lucky enough to have any leftover Jugo de Tamarindo, you can store your tamarind juice inside a closed jug. Do not expose your tamarind juice to oxygen. It will keep well inside the fridge for a day or two.
FAQs
Always serve this drink chilled. So, as you can imagine, it’s super refreshing. Tamarindo water has a very sweet flavor with a slightly tart undertone. But don’t worry, the sugar for this recipe is completely adjustable and you can add more or take away some to your liking.
It really depends on where you are located. For example, in many Asian countries, they are simply stores at the local grocery store. But, if you aren’t so lucky, you can take a look at a Latin American or African grocer. For some reason, I’ve found that few Asian grocers carry them. And, best of all, you can also order them online if you really can’t find any.
You definitely can, especially seeing how most store-bought tamarind pastes are unprocessed. They are essentially just pre-peeled to make your life easier.
More Juice Recipes
Jugo de Tamarindo (Tamarind Drink)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups tamarind, peeled (350 grams)
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 – 3/4 cups granulated white sugar
- Ice cubes, for serving
Instructions
- To start, peel the tamarind pods. You can use the guide above for a more in-depth description of this process.
- Combine the sugar, peeled tamarind, and 3 cups of water in a large pot.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat and leave the tamarind to cook, covered, for roughly 8-10 minutes.
- When the time has elapsed, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the lid from the pot and leave the ingredients to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Next, use a potato masher to crush the tamarind. Make sure that you crush the ingredients very well to ensure they will pass through the sieve as best as they can.
- Once they are mashed, take scoopsful of the mashed mixture and pass it through a fine-meshed sieve. Press the paste gently to extract as much tamarind water as you can.
- When you have extracted as much water as you can, pour it into a serving jug with ice.
- Stir in the remaining 2 cups of water and serve the tamarind juice chilled.
