Api Morado
Ingredients
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- 6 cups water
- 2 sticks cinnamon sticks
- 6 each cloves – whole
- 1 each orange – peel removed in wide strips (use peel only)
- 2 cups water – cold (for slurry)
- 1 cups purple corn flour
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice – freshly squeezed
Instructions
1. In a medium pot, combine 6 cups water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and the wide strips of orange peel. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 10 minutes to infuse.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the purple corn flour with 2 cups cold water until completely smooth with no lumps.
3. Increase the heat under the pot to medium. While whisking the simmering infusion continuously, slowly pour in the corn-flour slurry in a thin stream. Keep whisking until the mixture returns to a simmer.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking frequently, until thick, glossy, and bubbling with slow plops, 12–18 minutes.
5. Stir in the granulated sugar until fully dissolved, 1–2 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel, then strain the drink through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pot to catch any remaining spices or lumps.
6. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve steaming hot in mugs.
Api Morado is a thick, comforting hot beverage from Bolivia made with purple corn, warmly spiced and gently sweet. It pours a deep violet hue thanks to the anthocyanins in the corn, with a silky, spoon-coating texture and aromas of cinnamon, clove, and citrus. Typically enjoyed for breakfast, it’s fortifying without being heavy and pairs beautifully with fried pastries like buñuelos or pastel.
Rooted in the Andean highlands, Api Morado reflects a meeting of Indigenous maize traditions and colonial-era spices. Purple corn has been cultivated in the region since pre-Columbian times, while cinnamon and clove arrived later and became part of daily street and market fare. Today, vendors in Bolivian cities and towns ladle api from steaming pots on chilly mornings, and families prepare it at home alongside its lighter sibling, api blanco, made with white corn.