Homemade Chamoy Sauce

Before you start

Chamoy is a Mexican condiment that is sweet, sour, salty and spicy all at once. Commercial versions are often made with pickled fruit, but a homemade one built on dried apricots and prunes, with hibiscus for color and tartness, is easy and lets you control the heat and salt. It is drizzled over fresh fruit, swirled into mangonadas and spread on rims for micheladas and margaritas.

The key decision is consistency. For rims, cook and blend it thick, like ketchup, so it clings. For drizzling, thin it with water or lime juice. The chile is ground dried chile, not chili powder blends with cumin and garlic, which taste out of place. Taste and adjust at the end; chamoy should make you pucker and want more.

Ingredients

• 100 g (⅔ cup) dried apricots
• 50 g (⅓ cup) pitted prunes
• 10 g (¼ cup) dried hibiscus flowers
• 500 ml (2 cups) water
• 60 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) fresh lime juice — strained
• 2-3 tbsp ground dried chile — such as ancho or guajillo, plus a pinch of chile de árbol for heat
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp chile-lime seasoning — optional

Method

1. Put the hibiscus in the saucepan with the water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until the liquid is deep red, then strain out the flowers and return the liquid to the pan.
2. Add the apricots, prunes and sugar to the hibiscus liquid. Simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fruit is very soft and the liquid has reduced by about a third.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly, then transfer it to a blender. Add the lime juice, ground chile and salt.
4. Blend until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and blend again.
5. Check the texture. For rims, leave it thick. For drizzling, add water or lime juice a tablespoon at a time until pourable.
6. Taste and adjust with more salt, chile or lime until it is bold. Cool completely, then store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Tips for success

• Taste the chile powder first; some ground chiles are much hotter than others.
• For a smoother finish, push the blended chamoy through a fine-mesh strainer.
• Dip the rim of a glass in chamoy, then in chile-lime seasoning, for a classic michelada rim.

Substitutions

Dried apricots

Dried mango or dried tamarind pulp can replace some apricots, changing the tang and fruitiness.

Hibiscus

Leave it out for a lighter orange chamoy, adding 15 ml extra lime juice for tartness.

Granulated sugar

Brown sugar or piloncillo gives a deeper, caramel-like chamoy.

Troubleshooting

The chamoy is too salty

Blend in a few more soaked apricots and a little sugar to rebalance.

It is not sticking to rims

It is too thin. Simmer it gently to thicken, stirring constantly, then cool.

It tastes flat

Add more lime juice and a pinch of salt. Acidity and salt carry the flavor.

Storage

Refrigerate in a clean, sealed jar and use within about 3 weeks. Always use a clean spoon. Discard it if mold appears or it smells fermented.