Cinnamon juice

Here's a nice drink to have on hand in the fridge. It tastes great (less filling!), with the added bonus that cinnamon is supposed to be good for you. I discovered it a few years ago when I got sent to Seoul for a work trip (I know, poor me!). They served this after the meal at the restaurant where our hosts took us. It took me some time to come across a recipe for this hauntingly soothing beverage. This version comes close! It has so few ingredients and is so easy that it's barely a recipe, but that just makes it that much better!

Basically, you simmer 4 cinnamon sticks in 4 cups of water for half an hour. Then you turn off the stove and stir in 1/4 cup of sweetner (brown sugar is good, maple syrup is great too). That's it. I also like to add some ginger to the simmering cinnamon, and put in a few fresh slices. This gives the drink a little heat and some extra zing.

Once it has finished cooling down, you just strain it into a container, add a bit more water if you want, and tuck it in the fridge for whenever you're in the mood. I recommend straining, since cinnamon will lose some barky bits as it unravels in the heat, and it's nice to keep these out of your drinking glasses.

Cinnamon sticks are made from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum. The common one we get in North America is C. burmannii, also called Indonesian cassia -- apparently, this isn't the real McCoy (who knew?). "True" cinnamon actually comes from C. verum plants, and it has a cooler taste than the spicier stuff we usually get. It is really nice though (I used it for this recipe). Both types work just fine.

Cheers!