Two-Day Pineapple Tepache with Piloncillo and Canela

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A bright, fizzy Mexican street drink made from the pineapple peel you'd normally throw away. Wild yeast on the skin plus piloncillo syrup gives you a tart, lightly effervescent, cider-like refresco in about 48 hours — kept deliberately short so it stays low in alcohol (well under 0.5% ABV) and tastes like fruit rather than beer. Serve it cold over ice with a squeeze of lime and a whisper of chile salt.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe pineapple, unwaxed if possible
• 8 oz piloncillo (about 1 cone), chopped, or 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 quarts filtered or dechlorinated water, room temperature
• 1 cinnamon stick (canela / true Ceylon cinnamon preferred)
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 whole allspice berries
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, sliced into coins (optional)

• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• ice
• 1 cup chilled sparkling water or Mexican lager-free club soda, to top (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Tajín or chile-lime salt, for rims (optional)
• fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Scrub the whole pineapple under cool running water with a clean brush — do not use soap, and do not scrub so hard that you strip off all the wild yeast. Pat dry. If the fruit is heavily waxed or you can see a produce sticker residue, rinse those spots a little more aggressively; wax slows fermentation but won't stop it.
2. Slice off the crown and the base, then cut the peel away in wide strips about 1/2 inch thick, leaving a little fruit clinging to each strip — that flesh is your sugar and flavor. Reserve the peeled pineapple flesh for another use (or cut 1 cup into chunks and add it to the ferment for a rounder, fruitier tepache). Also save and roughly chop the tough core; it ferments beautifully.
3. Make the syrup: combine the piloncillo with 2 cups of the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 5 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the cone has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature — pouring hot syrup over the peels would kill the wild yeast you just worked to preserve.
4. Pack the peels, core, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, and ginger (if using) into a clean 1-gallon glass jar or two 2-quart jars. Pour in the cooled syrup, then add the remaining 6 cups room-temperature water. Leave at least 2 inches of headspace. Stir with a clean wooden or plastic spoon.
5. Push the peels down so they are fully submerged — use a small saucer, a zip-top bag filled with water, or a clean glass as a weight. Anything floating dry above the liquid is where mold starts.
6. Cover the mouth of the jar with a double layer of cheesecloth, a clean kitchen towel, or a coffee filter secured with a rubber band. Do not seal it airtight. Set the jar somewhere dark and warm, 70–78°F (a kitchen cabinet or the top of the refrigerator works); avoid direct sun.
7. After 24 hours, uncover and look: you should see a foamy white cap of bubbles and smell sweet, yeasty pineapple. Skim off and discard any thick beige or gray foam with a clean spoon, then stir. If nothing is happening, your room is too cool — move the jar somewhere warmer and give it another 12 hours.
8. At the 48-hour mark, taste it with a clean spoon. It should be tangy, fizzy on the tongue, and only lightly sweet — like a soft pineapple cider. This is the sweet spot for a low-alcohol drink. If it is still syrupy, ferment up to 12 hours more, tasting every 4 hours. Stop as soon as it turns sharply vinegary or smells like beer or nail polish; past 3 days at warm temperatures the alcohol climbs and the flavor turns harsh.
9. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a pitcher or clean bottles, pressing gently on the solids. Discard the peels and spices. For a bit more fizz, seal the strained tepache in swing-top bottles and leave at room temperature for just 8 to 12 hours, then refrigerate — 'burp' the bottles once during that window by opening them briefly over the sink to release pressure.
10. Refrigerate at least 4 hours until thoroughly cold. Cold slows fermentation almost to a stop, which locks in the flavor and keeps alcohol from developing further. Drink within 5 to 7 days.
11. To serve, rim glasses with lime and chile-lime salt if you like. Fill with ice, pour tepache two-thirds full, top with sparkling water for extra lift, and finish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig. Stir and serve immediately.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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