The Canelazo cocktail is a traditional hot drink from the high-altitude regions of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It is made with panela and aguardiente
The favourite traditional drink of Ecuadorians is the Canelazo cocktail, a sweet drink served hot and made with aguardiente, sugar or panela, and water boiled with cinnamon sticks.
It is especially traditional in mountain regions, where it helps ward off the cold, and is also enjoyed during winter festivities.
The word canelazo comes from the Spanish word canela, meaning cinnamon. It was given this name because cinnamon is the main ingredient in the recipe, and the first thing you notice when the drink is served is its aroma. 
The favourite traditional drink of Ecuadorians is the Canelazo cocktail, a sweet drink served hot and made with aguardiente, sugar or panela, and water boiled with cinnamon sticks.
There are several variations of canelazo, especially those that include fruit juice such as orange or lemon juice.
It can also be enjoyed alcohol-free, like a hot tea. In that version, it is the cinnamon flavour rather than the alcohol that warms the body. Over the years, this drink has become a classic for chatting with friends around the campfire. Grandmothers have long been the experts in its simple preparations and little tricks. 
This drink is said to help soothe a sore throat and ease flu symptoms; for this, people add spearmint and other medicinal plants.
The technique for a canelazo worth drinking is to make it neither too strong nor too mild. It is all about finding the middle point that lets you enjoy a hot drink without becoming tipsy straight away.
Canelazo has a distinctive amber colour and a very intense, sweet flavour thanks to the panela and aguardiente. Panela also provides a good amount of minerals, vitamins and plant fibre. And, of course, that delicious caramel and liquorice-like taste, together with the cinnamon, makes it a very special and flavourful drink.
How do you make the Canelazo cocktail?
Two of Colombia’s most important traditional drinks are aguardiente and agua de panela, so this canelazo turns out to be more than delicious: a truly tricolour drink.
Mix the aguardiente with the agua de panela, then add the cinnamon and heat it in a bain-marie, which, as you know, is the ideal technique for liqueurs. Now moisten the rim of a thick glass or a small clay mug with a little lemon juice, then place some sugar or salt on a plate and press the rim of your chosen vessel into the sugar or salt. 
The technique for a canelazo worth drinking is to make it neither too strong nor too mild. Then pour in the canelazo drink you have prepared in the bain-marie, and that’s it. A very simple Canelazo cocktail, isn’t it? Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 150 grams of panela
- 4 cups of water
- 6 sticks of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 cup of aguardiente