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Herbs & Cultures

Mapuche medicine →

Maqui drink

A deep purple drink of the summer berries of maqui, the tree the Mapuche call klon.

Traditional use

Time
15 minutes
Makes
About 1 litre
Maqui

Mapuche families pick maqui berries from December to March. They are eaten fresh, dried and, traditionally, also fermented into chicha, a lightly alcoholic drink already described in the nineteenth century. This version leaves out the fermentation: a fresh, sweet juice that tastes closest to the fruit.

Ingredients

  • 250 g fresh or frozen maqui berries (or 3 tbsp freeze-dried powder)
  • 800 ml cold water
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • To taste: honey

Step by step

  1. Bruise the berries in a bowl or blend briefly with a stick blender.
  2. Add the water and leave for 10 minutes.
  3. Strain, add the lemon juice and sweeten to taste.

Tips

  • Outside Chile maqui is mostly sold as freeze-dried powder; dissolve it in cold water.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

Read more about effects and safety on each herb’s page.

  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 851

    Maqui

    Aristotelia chilensis

    A shrub with dark purple berries rich in anthocyanins. The leaf was traditionally used for wounds and sore throats. Health claims for 'superfood' products are unproven.

    Mapuche medicine

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.