"Cooking With Ai Mei" - Cebada con Piña Drink

Cebada is a typical drink we make in Nicaragua and can be found in many other Latin American countries. Cebada drink is made from Barley, which would make most think about beer or whiskey, however, cebada is a non-alcoholic drink. This particular drink we made is called Cebada con Piña (Barley w/ Pineapple) with a certain type of barley, but it would be difficult to find that here in the U.S. so we use the powder which comes in a bag. 

If you go out to your local grocery store, make sure you look for it in the Latin America or Ethnic aisle. Brand name doesn't matter, all cebada powder is the same and almost always is available in a pink bag.

Recipe:

■ Bag of Cebada Powder Drink Mix, any brand

■ Water, (depends on mix)

■ Sugar, (1½ - 2 cups)

■ Vanilla Extract, (1 teaspoon)

■ Pineapple Slices, (1 or 2 cans)

■ Cinnamon Sticks, (2 or 3)

Directions:

1. To make the drink we add whole allspice, cinnamon sticks and liquefy some pineapple slices. 
2. We then add water and the powder on medium-heat for about 40min. then pour and strain in a pitcher
3. Add vanilla extract and sugar to your liking.
   
4. Let is cool by letting is sit out, adding some ice cubes or putting it in the fridge. 

If you manage to find the Cebada Powder drink mix in your stores, it will tell you how much water to add. :)

After it has cooled you can add some rum and garnish it with a cinnamon stick, a pineapple or lime slice. The drink is absolutely delicious, I have grown up with it all my life. I love where my parents were born and raised, it has allowed me to have a unique culture with food and drinks to die for! They may sound exotic to others, but to me, they represent my comfort food/drink :)

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I hope you guys try this and enjoy it. If you've never tried it I bet you will love it! :) I hope to have more of these "Cooking With Ai Mei" posts in the future.