Agua de tamarindo

Method

1. 1 Soak the tamarind in 500 ml of hot water for 30 minutes, then squeeze out the pulp and strain it through a sieve.
2. 2 Strain the mixture twice through a sieve to remove all the peels and seeds; any peels will leave the drink bitter and grainy.
3. 3 Boil the strained tamarind juice with sugar and cinnamon sticks for 8 minutes, then remove the cinnamon sticks.
4. 4 Dilute with 700 ml of cold water and add a pinch of salt to enhance the sour taste.
5. 5 Let it chill for 2 hours, then squeeze in the lemon juice before pouring.
6. 6 Pour into a glass with ice and sprinkle chili salt around the rim, Mexican style.

With an appliance

• Microwave 27 min

  Replace step 3: add filtered tamarind juice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a deep bowl, microwave at 900W for 5 minutes, stirring once in the middle; this is faster, about 3 minutes, so the sugar dissolves evenly and you don't have to watch for boiling over. Steps 4–6 still involve diluting, chilling, and adding lemon after cooling.