I read somewhere that when you move to another country, one of the things that you miss the most is the food from your homeland. You can adapt to the new climate, culture, and customs, but your taste for the food back home can never be replaced. Sadly, it can sometimes be hard to recreate those meals, since not all of the ingredients are available to you.
For us, one of the things we missed from Mexico was Rompope, a drink very similar to Eggnog. In Mexico, it is readily available at most supermarkets and liquor stores, but it is not sold here in the States. It didn’t seem to hard to make, so one day I gave it a shot, and the results were really good!
Rompope Recipe
Rompope is a famous drink from the City of Puebla, in the state of the same name. Its origins go all the way back to colonial times when the nuns of the Santa Clara Content used to prepare it for the priests and other religious authorities of the Catholic Church. Over time, the drink’s popularity surpassed the convent walls, and the nuns sold it as a means of income, along with Mole paste, candies, and other items that they prepared. Nowadays, Rompope (along with Tequila and Mezcal) has a privileged place among traditional Mexican drinks.
A basic recipe for Rompope includes milk, egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and some sort of alcohol. The different flavorings are nutmeg, vanilla, almonds, pecans, orange blossom water, clove, pine nuts and even pistachios.
I hope you enjoy this drink with your friends and family this holiday season.
How to make Rompope Recipe
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix milk, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, nutmeg and the pinch of baking soda in a saucepan and stir. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, allowing the milk to absorb the cinnamon and cloves’ flavors. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Turn off the heat and remove saucepan from stove to cool.
- While the milk is cooling, beat the egg yolks until they are a pale yellow. You can use your mixer if you want for this step.
- Slowly pour the egg yolk mix into the already cooled milk and stir. Once it is completely incorporated, place saucepan back on the stove and turn the heat on to medium-high, stirring frequently. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently to avoid curdling, for about 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture starts to become thick.
- Remove from heat and pass through a sieve to remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Add rum or brandy, and mix well. Pour into another container with a lid and let it cool for a couple of hours and refrigerate. The Rompope will taste best if you let the flavors combine, by storing it in the fridge for 2 weeks. But you can use it right away.
Serve sprinkled with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Rompope Mexican Eggnog Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups 1 liter of whole milk
- 1 cup 250 grams sugar
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- 1 stick of Mexican Cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 12 egg yolks from large size eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup 118 ml Rum or Brandy**
Instructions
- Mix milk, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, nutmeg and the pinch of baking soda in a saucepan and stir. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, allowing the milk to absorb the cinnamon and cloves’ flavors.
- Turn off the heat and remove saucepan from stove to cool.
- While the milk is cooling, beat the egg yolks until they are a pale yellow. You can use your mixer if you want for this step.
- Slowly pour the egg yolk mix into the already cooled milk and stir. Once it is completely incorporated, place saucepan back on the stove and turn the heat on to medium-high, stirring frequently. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently to avoid curdling, for about 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture starts to become thick.
- Remove from heat and pass through a sieve to remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Add rum or brandy, and mix well. Pour into another container with a lid and let it cool for a couple of hours and refrigerate. The Rompope will taste best if you let the flavors combine, by storing it in the fridge for 2 weeks. But you can use it right away.
Serve sprinkled with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Notes
Nutrition
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
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Mexican Fruit Drinks
Mango Agua Fresca
Receta en Español.
Catherine
Eggnog is such a delicious part of the holidays. This sounds wonderful. Catherine
Nora Ceccopieri
Maravilloso Mely! Te felicito por esta gran receta que nos regalas!
Abrazos!
Esther
We can find bottled rompope in Latino markets here in Arizona, but I'm sure the homemade tastes so much better. Since I'm the only one who likes it, will scale the recipe back. Sounds delicious!
Tomás L.
Thank you, first time trying to make this drink at home. It is really good!
Maria
hola Mely, una pregunta. Cual es la caducidad del rompope? Cuanto dura sin que se eche a perder?
Mely Martínez
Hola María,
A mi me a durado 6 semanas en el refrigerador. Nunca lo he dejado a temperatura ambiente.
Marcy
I love rompope, but didn't know it could be flavored with orange blossom water! How would I adjust the ingredients for that?
Mely Martínez
Hi Marcy,
Substitute the vanilla extract teaspoon with orange blossom water.
Gabriel
In your directions, there is no mention as to when to add the vanilla extract. I went ahead and added it in after all the cooking, since I imagine vanilla flavor could be lost by evaporation during a cooking process.
Thank you.
Mely Martínez
Hello Gabriel,
Thanks a lot for catching that up. Yes, add it at the end of the cooking process. Happy Holidays!