Guaro is a
liquor made in many places in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
. A clear liquid distilled from
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...
juices, it has a slightly sweeter taste than comparable liquors. It is traditionally 60 proof or 30% alcohol, although recently 70 proof and 80 proof versions are produced.
It is popular in
Colombia,
Costa Rica,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
, and
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
, although in many places the word "guaro" can refer to almost any liquor.
The name "guaro" came from
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. Colombians call it
aguardiente
( Spanish), or ( Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in ...
. Sometimes it is referred to as a "soft vodka" because it has a lower alcohol content than vodka.
History
In Costa Rica, the government nationalized its manufacture in 1851 in an effort to quell the clandestine production of liquor.
The ''Fabrica Nacional de Licores'' (National Liquor Factory) was founded for this reason, and since 1980
produces the only legal brand,
Cacique Guaro
Cacique Guaro is a brand of guaro produced by ''Fábrica Nacional de Licores'' or "FANAL". Cacique Guaro is a sugar cane-based liquor of high purity and is the best-selling distilled spirit in Costa Rica. It is known as "Costa Rican liqueur". A ...
.
Clandestine and fraudulent production
Clandestine liquor production is still prevalent, but it is seen more as a tradition than a business as it would be difficult to compete with the nationally produced guaro. The illegal version of the product is often called ''guaro de contrabando'' ("smuggled guaro") and is produced by various methods, all through distillation, but with different base ingredients, typically fruits or sweets from other sources, molasses from sugarcane, or simply sugar.
Deaths
In 2019 multiple deaths were reported caused by drinking adulterated counterfeit guaro produced by various criminal organizations.
Export
In 2004, the Costa Rican company S. Guaro LLC began exporting guaro to California in the United States. In 2005, Tranquilo Imports began marketing Guaro Tranquilo in Texas in the United States. As of 2007, guaro was still difficult to find in U.S. markets.
[Dowd, William M. (July 3, 2007)]
Down on Drinks: Costa Rican Treat Elusive
''Falls Church News-Press
The ''Falls Church News-Press'' is a weekly newspaper in Falls Church, Virginia. The periodical was founded in 1991 by Owner/Editor-in-Chief Nicholas F. Benton.
The ''News-Press'' claims a free circulation of 10,000. It is delivered in Bailey's ...
''.
References
Notes
Sources
*
English translationCosta Rican law regulating sale of alcohol.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guaro (Drink)
Liqueurs
Costa Rican distilled drinks
Spanish distilled drinks
Distilled drinks
Adulteration