Beerlandia: Cacique Guaro
As a newbie to Latin America, I confess I know next to nothing about the types of spirits the locals are slamming over there (other than tequila, of course). Obscure fermented rice beverages from Asia are more my forte, but I’m happy to take a break from cheap 110-proof baijiu.
My maiden moonshine adventure south of the border began in Costa Rica, where I met guaro, a liquor distilled from sugar cane juice.
I learned about this after I had actual freshly pressed sugar cane juice at a coffee farm in Monteverde, which was absolutely delicious. Connecting the dots in my head and going in completely blind — I noticed it in a shop and bought it without any context other than “sugar cane juice” — I thought guaro would go down decently easy.
Yeah…about that.
“Guaro is a clear spirit distilled from sugar cane juice.”
But before a taste, I’ll give you the context I didn’t have before imbibing Costa Rica’s national spirit.
Guaro is popular throughout Central America and Colombia, but the term guaro can also refer to any type of liquor. This distinction could make things a little confusing if you’re trying to track it down in an area with little English. You likely won’t have this issue in Costa Rica for two reasons: 1) English is everywhere, and 2) the production of guaro is entirely nationalized, which limits the possible options.
Fábrica Nacional de Licores (or FANAL) is the sole producer of Cacique Guaro, Costa Rica’s national brand. So, when in doubt, you can simply ask for Cacique to get what you’re looking for. It typically comes in a plastic screw-top 365-mL bottle with a red and gold label. Let’s crack it, shall we?
Spirit: Cacique Guaro
Distiller: Fábrica Nacional de Licores
Country: Costa Rica
Style: Guaro (distilled from sugar cane juice)
ABV: 30% (60 proof)
Beerlandia Advisory: You should probably mix it with something.
I try some guaro for an audience of monkeys.
I loved Costa Rica, but it didn’t love me very much. On my second day, I came down with Covid. I had a minor cough and runny nose with horrific throat ulcers that made eating or drinking anything extremely painful. Since I was popping ibuprofen and acetaminophen to just be slightly less miserable, it was a fairly sober trip for me. I squeezed in my Costa Rican beers and some guaro near the end of my trip when I was feeling better.
I brought my slightly chilled bottle out on the porch of my little detached bungalow in the rainforest and poured about a shot into a clear glass. Simple but unnerving (perhaps due to the plastic bottle), it looked no different than any other clear distilled spirit that hadn’t been barrel-aged. Almost on cue, some capuchin monkeys that had been frolicking and fighting further off started swinging my way. Maybe they had a nose and a thirst for Cacique?
Perhaps they caught a whiff of the slightly sweet and muted rubbing alcohol fumes that were certainly present but not quite as aggressive as some vodkas. It reminded me a bit of unflavored soju’s aroma. My first sip: neutral with a slightly sweet backend, but still elicited a slight shudder. Chilled is definitely the way to go. On the rocks — probably even better. I knocked the rest back. As a shot, it goes down quite easily. Definitely a bit harsh, but the lower proof helps with that. Guaro would be rocket fuel at 80-proof.
If you drink it straight, don’t expect Cacique Guaro to be anything like rum just because it has that connection to sugar cane. There is a hint of sweetness, albeit very fleeting. Guaro is something you might drink straight once you’ve already had something else to grease the wheels. Otherwise, I would recommend you take the advice of others and have it in a cocktail with lime juice. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to try it in a cocktail due to feeling run down and not up for a bar at the end of this trip.
Cacique Guaro deserves a second try.
In my weakened state, it was hard to give guaro its due justice. The very next day after tasting it, I had a delayed onset of loss of smell and taste typical with Covid. It’s entirely likely that it had already begun when I was struggling to enjoy my modest glass of Cacique, to the envy of the troop of monkeys scrutinizing my lack of ice and lime juice. I think I would have had a much better impression without coming freshly off of Covid and having a proper guaro cocktail. If not the guaro, my first taste of Costa Rica had me wanting more of LATAM, and I’m already planning a bigger trip in the region! ◉
Written by Seth Barham
