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Cola de mono
Coffee and milk liqueur drink
Cola de mono: milk steeped with coffee, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel, spiked with aguardiente for a Chilean Christmas
In Santiago, December means cola de mono: bottles of cold, coffee-coloured spiced milk that families make days ahead and open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, poured beside slices of pan de pascua, the dense Chilean fruit cake. The traditional version is for adults only, spiked with grape aguardiente; pour small glasses and drink responsibly. It tastes like a sweet, cold café con leche with cinnamon, clove and orange, the aguardiente adding a warm finish, and the texture is smooth and light, never thick. Each glass has about as much caffeine as a small, weak coffee, so use decaf for anyone sensitive. The classic mistake is adding the aguardiente while the milk is still hot: much of the alcohol steams away and the milk can catch and curdle. Let the spiced milk cool completely first. It is ready when the colour is an even tan, the spices smell strong but the milk tastes clean, and it is fridge-cold. It keeps 3–4 days in the fridge in clean bottles; shake before pouring and throw it out if it smells sour. Chef's tip: make it two days ahead; the spices keep blooming and it tastes noticeably rounder.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the cola de mono
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 6 ½ oz white sugar
- 2 strips orange peelpared without pith
- 2 tbsp instant coffeeor 120 ml strong espresso; decaf works
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups Chilean aguardienteor pisco or white grape brandy
For the alcohol-free version
- 5 cups whole milk (optional)
- 5 ½ oz white sugar (optional)
- 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
- 6 whole cloves (optional)
- 2 strips orange peel (optional)
- 2 tbsp decaf instant coffee (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 4 ¼ cups whole milk, 6 ½ oz white sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves and 2 strips orange peel in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
5 minStep 2: Bring just to a gentle simmer, with small bubbles at the edge, then lower the heat and steep without boiling until the milk smells strongly of cinnamon and clove.
10 minStep 3: Take off the heat and whisk in 2 tbsp instant coffee until dissolved and the milk turns an even tan. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
2 minStep 4: Leave to cool completely, stirring now and then to stop a skin forming, then strain out the spices.
60 minStep 5: Stir in 1 ¼ cups Chilean aguardiente, pour into clean bottles through a funnel and chill for at least 4 hours, or up to 4 days. Shake and serve very cold in small glasses.
5 minStep 6: Alcohol-free version: heat 5 cups whole milk with 5 ½ oz white sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves and 2 strips orange peel and steep in the same way, then whisk in 2 tbsp decaf instant coffee and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
17 minStep 7: Alcohol-free version: cool completely, strain, bottle and chill well before serving.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cola de mono take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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