This Delicious Probiotic Drink Only Takes 3 Ingredients to DIY

Poppi. Health-Ade. Olipop. Bubbly probiotic drinks are all the rage these days. But they come at a pretty penny, especially if you’ve got a sparkly drink obsession during the summer months. Enter tepache, Mexico’s delicious, easy-to-make, zero-waste health drink, which requires just three ingredients, and is a wonderful reset for your gut.

The key to making tepache is using the pineapple skins that are normally discarded, which contain natural yeasts that ferment into a delightfully bubbly drink. The way to do it is really simple. Place the skins in a large vessel similar to the ones you’d use to make sun tea, throw in some cinnamon sticks and add piloncillo. (Piloncillo is a compressed, unrefined brown cane sugar cone which you can find in most Mexican markets or on Amazon, but if you can’t find it, medium brown sugar is a great substitute.) Then cover the contents in water, and wait 24 hours for the magic to happen. The results are a lightly effervescent tepache that costs essentially nothing to make. I love pouring mine over ice with a squeeze of fresh lime.

The recipe here is from Naviva, a new wellness retreat in the Riviera Nayarit that’s unquestionably one of the most beautiful, and easily most exciting, openings in North America as of late. Their team serves this tepache solo as a thirst quencher for the tropical heat, as well as in cocktails made with the region’s native agave spirit, raicilla. Think of it as the new way to detox and retox at the same time. Here’s how to make it at home.

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Ingredients

• 2 pineapple skins
• 1 cone piloncillo (approximately 300 grams)
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 liter filtered water at room temperature, or enough to cover the skins
• large glass vessel

Method

1. Cut off the crown from the pineapple and discard. Wash the outside of the pineapple with water. Carve off the skins of the pineapple and save the meat for snacking. Place the skins in the glass vessel.
2. Add piloncillo and cinnamon sticks, then cover with water. Place a tea towel or cheese cloth loosely atop the vessel, ensuring that debris doesn’t get into the mixture.
3. After 24 hours, check your tepache. If you see white foam on the surface of the water or bubbles forming when you give it a gentle stir, it’s fermenting. You can drink it as is, or let it continue to brew another day or so if you like ultra bubbly drinks. (At Naviva, they recommend two days.) If you do not see any white froth, cover the pot again and check it after another 24 hours; the time necessary for fermentation will vary according to the room temperature and ripeness of the pineapple.
4. Strain using a chinois to remove all of the solids and store in Soda Stream bottles for up to one week. Pro tip: You can save a small bit of the white foam from the top to use as a mother for your next batch to speed along the fermentation process.

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