DrinksMedium

Chilate (Cacao and Chilli Drink)

Name: Chilate (Cacao and Chilli Drink)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 100 g Cacao en grano (o cacao puro en polvo); 2 rajas Cinnamon stick; 1 Dried guajillo chilli; 100 g Piloncillo (raw cane sugar) (o panela); 50 g Rice (para espesar); 1500 ml Water

30 min (15 prep + 15 cook) Medium 6 servings Guerrero

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 24 Mar 2026

Ancestral Guerrero drink of cacao with chilli and cinnamon, served cold.

About this recipe

Chilate is a pre-Hispanic drink from Guerrero made with cacao, cinnamon and chilli, served cold. It is one of Mexico's most ancient beverages, with direct roots in Aztec chocolate traditions.

History & Origin

Chilate is one of Mexico's oldest beverages, with roots stretching directly back to the pre-Hispanic cultures of the Guerrero region. Its name comes from Nahuatl 'chilatl', combining 'chilli' (chilli) and 'atl' (water), literally describing its composition: chilli water with cacao. The Aztecs and other Mesoamerican cultures consumed cacao drinks prepared with chilli, vanilla and other spices, and chilate is a direct descendant of those ritual preparations. Unlike European hot chocolate, chilate is served cold and has a complex flavour in which the bitterness of cacao, the gentle heat of chilli and the sweetness of cinnamon intertwine. In the communities of the Costa Chica of Guerrero, chilate is still prepared in the traditional manner: toasting the cacao and grinding it on a metate with the spices. It is a drink for celebrations, patron-saint festivals and markets. Chilate represents the living continuity of pre-Hispanic culinary traditions and is a testament to how the indigenous cultures of Guerrero have preserved their gastronomic heritage across the centuries.

Estimated cost

£7.70

Total cost

£1.28

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

Calories

Protein

10g

Carbohydrates

Fat

Fibre

10mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Toast slightly the granos of cacao in a comal (flat griddle) or frying pan dry for 5 minutes, moving them constantemente.
💡 If using cacao in polvo puro, sáltate this paso.
2
Toast also the rice and the cinnamon in the mismo comal (flat griddle) for 3 minutes. Deseed the guajillo chilli and tuéstalo brevemente.
3
Grind the cacao, the rice toasted, the cinnamon and the chilli in a blender with 500 ml of water until you get a paste soft.
💡 If tienes metate, úsalo for the molienda tradicional.
4
Strain the mixture for quitar the residuos gruesos. Add the resto of the water and the piloncillo (raw cane sugar) grated.
5
Beat vigorosamente with a molinillo or batidor until haga espuma. Taste and adjust the dulzura.
💡 Tradicionalmente pasa of a container a another from it alto for crear espuma.
6
Serve cold in jícaras or vasos, with the espuma of cacao encima.
💡 El chilate mejora with the reposo: leave it enfriar at least 2 hours.