James Read’s tepache

1 Heat 1.2 litres of water in a pan with the sugar until it dissolves, then leave to cool until lukewarm. Remove the leaves, base and core from the pineapple, and peel the rind into long strips. Slice the fruit to enjoy later.

2 Wedge the core and strips of rind into the jar so they’ll stay submerged – try arranging them in horizontal stripes. Add the spices, then pour over the sugar water ensuring the core and peel are fully covered, and seal the jar.

3 Leave to ferment in a warm spot (around 220C) for 2-6 days, checking once a day until you see evidence of fi zzing (be careful on opening, it can be very vigorous).

4 Once fermentation is under way, try the tepache daily until it is to your liking (around 3-4 days unless it’s below 180C), then strain into a bottle, leaving 2cm at the top, and refrigerate. It will keep for a week, but open it every so often to stop it getting too fizzy.