When we’re traveling, I post my little travelogues on the go and off the cuff. Instagram only allows 2,200 characters per post, so I have to be stingy with words. Maybe that’s a good thing. 😉 One of the reasons I started this blog is so I can take a pause after our trips, and look at something(s) more in depth. Enter, the drinks report.

One of my favorite things to do when we travel is to explore the local drinks (alcoholic and not) situation. I could spend hours in the local grocery/wine/liquor store just studying the shelves. Ken is not as enthusiastic about this activity, so I usually send him off to climb a mountain or something.

Without further delay, here’s my drinks report from Antigua, Guatemala:

Cerveza

The national beer of Guatemala is called Gallo, or rooster. It’s immensely popular there. Think: Guatemalan Budweiser. Here’s how I evaluate beer: does it taste like beer? Beer flavored beer. Not fruit beer. Not IPAs (which are undrinkable), not pickle beer, not Sriracha donut beer. You get the idea. Gallo tastes like beer, and I am here for it. It’s a light pale lager, and a super refreshing foil for the Guatemalan heat.

Quetzalteca

The national liquor of Guatemala is a clear spirit called Quetzalteca, which is named after the national bird of Guatemala – the quetzal. Quetzalteca is a type of liquor known as an aguardiente, which is sort of an umbrella term for a whole bunch of different clear distilled spirits. Each country in Central and South America has its own version of aguardiente. They vary in taste according to the material used as a base, which could be sugar cane, grapes, anise, fruits, grains, herbs, or you could just go crazy and mix bases. Aguardiente is high in alcohol, and translated loosely, means, “I am never drinking again”. There are many different brands of aguardiente in Guatemala (and throughout Central America), but Quetzalteca is Guatemala’s most popular.

Guatemalan aguardiente (actual translation = burning water), is produced by distilling sugar cane juices. Some people say it has a distinctive taste, but I think it tastes rather neutral – like vodka or basic white rum. I read a few articles sounding alarms about the super high alcohol content of Quetzalteca, which comes in at around 39% ABV. By way of comparison, Tito’s is 40% and Makers Mark is 45%. They’re distilled spirts. High alcohol is kind of the point. Just go easy.

Used to be, Quetzalteca was the equivalent of American MD 20/20 – basically a gutter drink. But thanks to a new marketing campaign and some clever bartenders, it’s been enjoying a renaissance in Guatemala lately. We drank Quetzalteca daiquiris at the wedding welcome reception, and they were damn good. If neutral isn’t your thing, Quetzalteca is available in flavors like tamarind and hibiscus. I bought a tiny bottle of Quetzalteca tamarind just so I could try it. So, so, so sweet. Tasted like a cavity.

Rum

I was surprised to learn that Guatemala produces some quality rum. Enter, Zacapa. Disclaimer: I’ve never been much of a rum drinker. About the only time I drink rum is when we travel to tropical, umbrella drink places – one of the best drinks I ever had was a fresh banana daiquiri in the Bahamas. But unfortunately, so many rums are characterless (side eye: Bacardi) and wasted in vats of some flavor of “punch” or another. I bought a small bottle of the entry level Zacapa at duty-free on our way out of the country, and it was pretty good. Can’t say I’m going to start sipping it on Friday nights, but it was decent. There was a $200 bottle available, but if I’m dropping that kind of money on a liquor, it’s going to be bourbon.

We enjoyed some cocktails at Hobbitenango (the pit stop during our ATV adventure). It wasn’t really a sit and savor kind of afternoon, though. It was more of a let’s fortify before we ATV back down this mountain kind of afternoon. But the kid at the bar (and I say kid because look at him, he’s 12) was an outstanding bartender. He made us a drink called, The Wizard’s Wand, or something like that, with whatever red liquid was in this skull decanter. Was it rum? No clue. But it was good.

Coffee

We drank quite a bit of coffee in Guatemala (well, I did – Ken takes his caffeine in Diet Coke form). I’m not a coffee aficionado. I didn’t start drinking it until my daughter (who never slept) was born, and I put enough cream and sugar in it to make it a dessert. But Guatemalan coffee was delicious — enough to inspire me to try and wean myself off of sugar in my coffee. Coffee without sugar is kind of a revelation. You can actually taste and appreciate all of the nuances in different coffees. I feel like I’ve been missing out. I haven’t let go of my cream yet, though.

And that’s a wrap on my drinks report from Guatemala.

Salud!