I've never heard of drinking sugarcane juice. Here in The Deep South, we just boil it down to make molasses! As a child, I remember visiting one farm where the guy used a machete to harvest sugarcane that grew beside the creek on his property. He had an old-timey press like they used back in the 1800s, which he built himself, powered by one of his mules. He boiled the juice over an open fire and explained the process to us children, and how two or three boilings were required to reach the desired sweetness and consistency. It was such a great educational experience, and gave me a real appreciation for molasses and the pioneers who devised the methods to make it possible for us to enjoy today!
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I grew up around sorghum, which I thought was sugarcane for a very long time. The plants look very similar, but sorghum is used to make molasses. I have read online that once upon a time sorghum juice was a popular treat, so now I want to try it.
They still make sugar over a fire here, but the preferred source is palm fruit instead of sugarcane.