A semi-frozen Spanish summer refreshment of milk infused with cinnamon and lemon peel, sweetened, then lightened with whipped egg whites and frozen to a snowy, spoonable slush. A staple of horchaterías and ice-cream parlors.
Leche merengada is a chilled Spanish drink of milk infused with cinnamon and lemon peel, lightly sweetened and whipped frothy — a refreshment of horchaterías, especially in Valencia and the south. It is somewhere between a drink and an ice.
Cold, snowy, and gently sweet, tasting of creamy milk warmed by cinnamon and brightened by lemon. The frozen egg-white foam gives it an airy, melting texture rather than a dense ice. Pure summer relief in a glass.
Whipped egg whites trap air, so periodic stirring during freezing prevents large ice crystals and yields a soft, fluffy slush instead of a solid block. Cinnamon and lemon infuse the milk with aromatic warmth.
Variations
served as a base for blanco y negro (with espresso); without egg for a simpler version; with extra cinnamon
On the Palate
Where Leche Merengada sits in the Spanish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 15 min active · 240 min waiting
- 18 min
Heat the milk with sugar, a cinnamon stick, and a strip of lemon peel until just steaming.
- 260 min
Remove from heat and let it infuse, then chill the mixture thoroughly.
- 32 min
Strain out the cinnamon and lemon peel.
- 44 min
Whip the egg whites to soft peaks.
- 53 min
Gently fold the whipped whites into the cold infused milk.
- 62 min
Pour into a shallow container and place in the freezer.
- 7160 min
Stir with a fork every 30-45 minutes as it freezes to keep it slushy and aerated.
- 81 min
Serve in glasses dusted with ground cinnamon while still semi-frozen.
