December is already here. This is my favorite time of the year and not for religious--or consumerist--reasons. I love the energy of the end of the year. Cycles close, others begin. And while there are those who carry over old "things" into the new year, I think the former beats the latter: the symbolism of the end of the year has a mystical force that moves people, hearts, whole communities, countries. I'm speaking of that energy that's present even in simple things, like the cheerful twinkling of Christmas lights or a cup of coffee.

During this month I use about the same amount of cane honey that I use throughout a whole year because this is a time for sharing homemade treats, and this is the ingredient of many typical dishes and desserts of my country, Venezuela. It isn't a spice, but believe me, it works as if it were, so I thought I'd use it for this Christmas spice macchiato.

When it's party time, this traditional ingredient is usually present and therefore, its flavor and aroma are, by association, the flavor and aroma of celebration for many of us (who cherish tradition). And that's why this macchiato I'm preparing today is sweetened with cane honey.

I always have homemade cane honey in my fridge; I make it by melting a 750 gr piloncillo in 400-600 ml of water, depending on the consistency I want. This one is nicely thick.

INGREDIENTS

For 2 people:

• 1 cup homemade hot coffee (I used Anzoátegui espresso beans)

• 2-3 tablespoons thick homemade cane honey

• 1/2 cup homemade coconut milk (to which I've added a pinch of salt)

• Half a stick cinnamon

• 3 whole cloves

• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

• a couple of drops vanilla essence

• another pinch of salt if needed

THE PROCESS

The proportions of coffee and milk in a macchiato are approximately 2 to 1, making it an intensely flavored--and caffeinated--drink. Today I wanted to make it this way, but to tell you the truth, I usually prepare this coffee beverage with a good amount of coconut milk and just a splash of espresso or instant coffee. Today I decided to do it differently and see how it goes for me with a spice macchiato.

SPICES

I prepared the spices first. I used a cheese grater to grind the nutmeg.

I used half a cinnamon stick. Broke into pieces to get the most of it.

I added all the spices in a saucier along with half a cup of water and brought it to a boil over medium heat.

While this was reduced to approximately 50 ml of infusion, I prepared the coffee.

COFFEE

I ground some Anzoátegui coffee beans, which I like very much for these drinks because of its intense espresso aroma...

I used twice as much coffee and a third less of water. I used my 6 cup moka pot.

Dark enough to hold the infusion and coconut milk.

The freshly made coffee went into the spice infusion.

Then I added the thick cane honey, approximately 3 tablespoons.

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