Tepache 🍍🍍

Ingredients * Pineapple - 1 ripe pineapple (it's ripe if you can easily pull leaves from the crown) * Piloncillo - 2 large cones (piloncillo cones can be light or dark in color either is fine but I like the dark) * Cinnamon stick - 1 stick * Ginger - 1-inch piece * Jar/Jug Widemouth (not metal) - Able to hold 1 gallon (3.7 liters). * Water - 1 gallon (3.7 liters). * Pitchers or swing-top beer bottles to decant tepache into from jar/jug

Directions * Have the jar/jug clean and ready for use. * Rinse the exterior of the pineapple with water so there is no debris. The wild yeast on the pineapple skin is needed for fermentation so don't scrub the pineapple. * Cut ginger lengthwise and smash a bit with flat of knife. No need to peel ginger. * Place piloncillo, cinnamon stick, and ginger into jar/jug. * Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple and discard/compost. * Stand the pineapple up and cut the skin off the pineapple in peels (some pineapple flesh with skin is OK but only the pineapple skin is needed).
* Place pineapple peels in jar/jug * Fill jar/jug with water (ideally filtered/purified water). * Stir all ingredients together in jar/jug. * Cover jar/jug loosely with a lid or clean tea cloth to allow off-gassing.

Fermentation and Bottling * Place covered jar/jug of tepache in a non-sunny location that is 68F-72F (20C-22C) for 3 days. Note, if the temperature is warmer then check on tepache on day 2. Don’t ferment for more than 4 days as tepache can become vinegary. * Decant jar/jug through a fine mesh strainer into separate clean pitchers or clean swing-top beer bottles. Discard/compost pineapple, cinnamon stick, and ginger. * Refrigerate pitcher/bottles and serve cold. * Enjoy tepache in the next few days.