I don’t know about your neck of the wood but it is fracking cold here in Ottawa. So I keep thinking about having a cup of aguapanela, nice and steamy. With lots of cheese in it.
Aguapanela (or aguadepanela ==> panela water) is a very common beverage in Colombia. It can be served steaming hot (great as part of a meal or to cure the common cold) or cold to quench the thirst in a hot day, which is pretty much every day in most cities in the torrid zone .
I can even be fermented to various degrees to make a drink called guarapo. The longer you let it ferment, the higher the alcohol content will be. Guarapo is the prefered beverage of farmers who take it with them to drink all day while working in the fields. The flavour is very particular and guarapo is an acquired taste. I don’t mind it fresh but I can’t stand the most fermented one.
You can drink guarapo in a fancy glass
Or in a totuma, as it is intended
Summer Solstice Musings 