Navegado

Navegado (Chilean Warm Cinnamon Wine)

A traditional Chilean hot holiday drink, especially popular in the south around the lake district and Patagonia. Navegado combines red wine with orange peel, spices and sometimes dried fruits, simmered gently so the alcohol mellows but the fruit and spice character comes through.

Prep

5 min

Cook

25 min

Total

30 min

Serves

6 to 8

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •1.5 L (6¼ cups) dry red wine, Chilean País or a rustic, fruity red; avoid anything heavily oaked. A home-kitchen-friendly substitute is an inexpensive French Gamay, Beaujolais or an unoaked Spanish Garnacha.
• •250 ml (1 cup) freshly squeezed orange juice, from 2 to 3 oranges, plus a wide strip of zest from one of them
• •100 g (½ cup (lightly packed)) granulated sugar, reduce to 75 g / ⅓ cup if your wine is on the sweet side; Chilean recipes commonly use pica or chancaca, see note below
• •2 sticks Ceylon cinnamon, true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is traditional in Chile and is softer and more floral than cassia; cassia works fine in a home kitchen but is the only realistic substitute
• •3 whole cloves
• •1 whole star anise, optional, but very common in Chilean recipes
• •1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• •80 g (½ cup) raisins or dried apricots, chopped, dried Chilean mosqueta rosehips are traditional but hard to find abroad; dried apricots or raisins are the standard home substitute
• •60 ml (¼ cup) aguardiente or pisco, optional: a splash stirred in at the end is very typical in southern Chile and lifts the aromatics; brandy is an acceptable substitute

Steps

1. 1 Optional chancaca syrup: if using chancaca (Chilean raw sugar), dissolve 80 g / ⅓ cup chancaca in 80 ml / ⅓ cup water over low heat, then strain and use in place of the granulated sugar.
2. 2 Combine the wine, orange juice, sugar (or chancaca syrup), cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and nutmeg in a heavy-bottomed pot.
3. 3 Add the wide strip of orange zest, taking only the colored part (the white pith turns bitter when simmered).
4. 4 Heat slowly over medium-low, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the liquid is steaming and you see the first bubbles breaking the surface — do not let it boil. Chilean tradition is to keep it just below a simmer so the alcohol does not cook off entirely.
5. 5 Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and hold at this gentle steaming for 12 to 15 minutes, so the cinnamon and spice infuse and the wine reduces very slightly. If the surface starts to foam, skim it off.
6. 6 Stir in the raisins or chopped dried apricots and continue to steep for another 3 to 4 minutes so they plump up.
7. 7 Fish out the orange zest, cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise.
8. 8 Taste and adjust: add more sugar a spoonful at a time if the wine is very dry, or a splash of water if it is too strong.
9. 9 Ladle into warmed mugs or small glass cups. If using aguardiente or pisco, stir 1 tablespoon per mug into the hot wine just before serving.
10. 10 Serve piping hot, with the rehydrated fruit in each cup. Typical accompaniments on the table are pan amasado, sopaipillas or slices of pan de Pascua.