Champurrado

Step 1: Whisk 1 ¾ oz masa harina into 250 ml of 1 cup water in a jug until completely smooth, with no dry lumps. Masa harina is corn cooked with lime (nixtamalised) and ground; it gives champurrado its body and gentle toasted-corn taste. Cornflour or polenta won't taste right or set the same way.

Step 2: Leave the masa mixture to stand for 5 minutes while you start the pot; it hydrates and whisks in more smoothly.

Step 3: In a heavy saucepan combine the rest of 1 cup water, 2 cups whole milk, 2 ⅞ oz piloncillo and 1 cinnamon stick. Heat over a medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is steaming with small bubbles at the edge. Don't let it boil up, as milk rises fast and boils over.

Step 4: Add 3 ⅛ oz Mexican chocolate and whisk until it has melted completely and the drink is evenly brown, about 2 minutes. Mexican chocolate is grainy by nature; that slight texture is normal.

Step 5: Whisk the masa mixture again, then pour it through a sieve into the pan, whisking all the time. Pouring slowly into moving liquid stops lumps forming.

Step 6: Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium-low heat, whisking constantly and scraping the base and corners. You will feel it go from thin to silky within a few minutes.

Step 7: Keep cooking and whisking for 5–6 minutes more, until it coats the back of a spoon thickly and a finger drawn through it leaves a clear line. Taste: there should be no raw, chalky corn flavour. It catches on the bottom easily, so keep the heat low and keep whisking. If lumps appear, whisk hard or blend briefly with a stick blender.

Step 8: Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in ½ tsp vanilla extract and 1 pinch salt; the salt sharpens the chocolate.

Step 9: Whisk hard for 30 seconds, or spin a wooden molinillo between your palms, until the top is frothy. The foam is part of the pleasure.

Step 10: Serve very hot in mugs with tamales or sweet bread. It thickens as it stands; loosen with a splash of hot milk. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge and set almost like a pudding; reheat gently with milk, whisking.