Atole

Atole is a traditional Mexican drink enjoyed during the winter months (mostly December).  It's comparable to hot chocolate, but it's not.  The base is actually made from corn meal, sugar, and cinnamon.  And if you add chocolate to it, it's call champurrado.  Now before you decide that a drink made from corn sounds like the weirdest thing you've ever heard of, consider horchata.  Horchata is another Mexican drink made from rice water and cinnamon.  When I tell people what horchata is made of, they make the "that sounds disgusting" face.  But then they try it and realize how amazing it is.  Atole is like that.

Mexican Kitchen Staples

To make sure your endeavors in Mexican cooking go as smoothly as possible, there are a few things you should have in your kitchen. I was fortunate enough that my mom made sure I had all these (except one which is hard to find) before I moved into my house.