The vaina is a Chilean cocktail so traditional that it is almost consumed more than the pisco sour (or when I was a waitress in a bar it was)
It is made from some old sweet wine, cognac, white or malt vermouth, egg white (to make the foam) and sprinkled with cinnamon powder.
This cocktail is very different from the typical cocktails that are acidic and light, the vaina is sweet and dense (almost as much as the cola de mono, a chilean eggnog) and is usually consumed as an aperitif before meals, especially on weekends.
There is an urban myth that the vaina owes its name to Andrés Bello, and that when he lived in Santiago de Chile, he was a regular customer of the Torres confectionery, where this cocktail that fascinated him so much would have been created, since it brought him multiple memories, so at some point he exclaimed “innkeeper, bring me another ·vaina” (stuff) of those!”
But it turns out that Andres Bello died in 1865 and the Torres confectionery was founded in 1879 (and it still serves the public!) so this story cannot be real, so where exactly the name of the pod comes from will remain a mystery. .
Chilean Vaina
Equipment
- Shaker or blender
Ingredients
- 1 sherry or sweet wine
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon bittersweet cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons cognac
- 1/3 cup crushed ice
- 4 tablespoons icing sugar or gum
- cinnamon powder to sprinkle
Instructions
- We put all the ingredients (except the cinnamon); sherry, yolk, cognac, cocoa, sugar and ice in the blender or shaker and process for a minute.
- Serve immediately in glasses, sprinkle a little cinnamon and enjoy!
Notes
The vaina can last 1 day if it is refrigerated, but the ideal is to serve it immediately.