When you think about Mexican drinks the first two that come to mind are Margarita’s and Corona or maybe Mexican Hot Chocolate.
All are truly fantastic but if you are looking for a unique Mexican drink without alcohol Mexican Tepache is the one to try.
You could visit 100 restaurants and taco stands and find that each one has a slightly different Tepache recipe but the basics are the same.
Every Tepache recipe is essentially a fermented pineapple drink. Sounds unusual but with the recent trend towards kombucha and understanding, the importance of fermented food in our diet this drink is a great choice.
Our Mexican Tepache recipe is easy to make, alcohol-free, refreshing and it’s great served cold.
Refreshing, thirst quenching and exotic, this drink is truly one of a kind.
When visiting Mexico every taco stand offers you either Tepache or Coca-Cola to drink. As a tourist I usually chose Coke, but with some encouragement, I began to try Tepache at a variety of stands. (https://santaclaritalanes.com/) Each one slightly different, but each a delicious drink perfectly paired with a spicy taco.
Traditionally this Mexican drink recipe was only available from vendors or in restaurants but now a variety of recipes are available so you can make it at home. Our Tepache recipe is adapted from the stunningly beautiful book filled with lots of amazing traditional recipes we highly recommend Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook
- 1 whole ripe pineapple
- 12 cups of water
- 20 oz/600g piloncillo (raw sugar) or brown sugar
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 3 whole cloves
- **optional – 1 beer
- Wash the pineapple thoroughly, remove the stem and cut the pineapple into large pieces (including rind).
- Place the pineapple into a large bowl or pitcher, add 8 cups of water and the piloncillo, cinnamon and cloves.
- Cover and let stand in a warm place for 48 hours.
- Strain the tepache and add 4 cups of water OR 1 cup of water and 1 beer.
- Let stand 12 hours.
- Strain drink, add 3 cups of water and serve over ice cubes.
Who knew that fermenting pineapple would produce such a delicious drink? It certainly does!
Whether you are experienced with making fermented beverages or not there are lots of tips on how to make your own.
As our recipe indicates you can add a small amount of beer once the drink is ready to increase the alcohol content. If you do not add beer the resulting alcohol content is very low.
Tepache is great served beside our AirFryer Corn Tortilla Chip Recipe, Chicken Tamale Recipe or with any taco recipe.
Wondering what people think about drinking Tepache? Love this post and photos by Wandering Earl.
No matter what the occasion or meal you are creating your drink we look forward to hearing all about the experience and what you loved about the taste. You do not even have to travel to Mexico to try it!
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Is there a beer of choice for this by any chance?
Any light Mexican beer like Corona or Tecate would work.