Prú oriental

Step 1: Rinse 1 ⅜ oz dried raíz de China or sarsaparilla root, ⅔ oz dried bejuco ubí and ½ oz fresh pine needles in a sieve and put them in a large stainless-steel pot with 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp whole allspice berries, ½ tsp aniseed and 14 ½ cups water.

Step 2: Bring to the boil over high heat, then cover and simmer gently over low heat for 40 minutes, until the liquid is deep reddish-brown and smells woody and spiced. Top up with water if it drops below 3 litres.

Step 3: Take off the heat, stir in 14 oz brown sugar until dissolved, then leave until just lukewarm, about 95°F; it should feel neither warm nor cold on your wrist.

Step 4: Strain through a fine sieve or cloth into a large clean jar or food-grade bucket (washed in hot soapy water and rinsed with boiling water). Sprinkle in ¼ tsp dried yeast and stir.

Step 5: Cover with a clean cloth tied with string and leave in a warm spot (24–82°F) for 2–3 days, stirring once a day with a clean spoon. It is ready when tiny bubbles keep rising, a thin foam sits on top and it smells pleasantly sweet-sour.

Step 6: Strain again and funnel into clean plastic bottles with screw caps, leaving 5 cm of space. Leave at room temperature for 12–24 hours, squeezing a test bottle twice a day and loosening the caps briefly to release gas.

Step 7: As soon as the test bottle feels firm, move all the bottles to the fridge. Drink cold within 5 days; it gets sourer and slightly more alcoholic the longer it sits. Open slowly over the sink, and discard any batch with fuzzy mould, a slimy texture or a rotten smell.