Dominican Morir Sonando Recipe

Morir Sonando is a traditional orange juice and milk beverage from the Dominican Republic. The drink is a mixture of fresh orange juice, evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla poured over ice.

There are some particular steps that should be taken when making morir sonanado because it’s possible for the mixture to curdle. This is due to the acidity of the orange juice, interacting with the proteins in the milk. The first step is to chill the evaporated milk since curdling favors warm temperatures.

Typically the milk, flavoring and sugar are added to the evaporated milk first. The orange juice should also be chilled. The second step is constantly stirring the orange juice while it is being poured into the milk to quickly dilute the orange juice. Lastly, pouring over ice will keep the drink very cold and will keep the drink from getting to warm.

Most recipes for morir sonando call for Dominican vanilla. Dominican vanilla is not the same as regular vanilla extract. For starters it’s completely clear, not dark. It does have a slight vanilla flavor but no vanilla at all. It’s made from a mixture of artificial flavors. For authenticity Dominican vanilla is used to make morir sonanado but regular dark vanilla extract works just as well. It may make the beverage a slightly darker color.

Origin & Cultural Significance

In English, morir means to die and sonando means dreaming. As well as being a popular summer time drink, morir sonando is also used as traditional remedy. It is offered to persons who are weak, women after giving birth or those who are anemic.

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