Guaro (drink)
Guarois aliquormade in many places inLatin America.A clear liquid distilled fromsugar canejuices, 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.[1]It is popular inColombia,Costa Rica,Ecuador,El Salvador,Guatemala,Honduras,Nicaragua,andPanama,although in many places the word "guaro" can refer to almost any liquor.
The name "guaro" came fromCentral America.Colombians call itaguardiente.Sometimes it is referred to as a "soft vodka" because it has a lower alcohol content than vodka.[citation needed]
History
In Costa Rica, the government nationalized its manufacture in 1851 in an effort to quell the clandestine production of liquor.[1]TheFabrica Nacional de Licores(National Liquor Factory) was founded for this reason, and since 1980[2]produces the only legal brand,Cacique Guaro.[1]
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 calledguaro 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.[3]
Export
In 2004, the Costa Rican company S. Guaro LLC began exporting guaro to California in the United States.[4]In 2005, Tranquilo Imports began marketing Guaro Tranquilo in Texas in the United States.[5]As of 2007, guaro was still difficult to find in U.S. markets.[6]
References
Notes
- ^abcParker, Jenn (24 May 2017)."A Brief History of Guaro: Costa Rica's National Liquor".Culture Trip.Retrieved2019-07-26.
- ^"The Traditional Drink of Costa Rica: Cacique Guaro".Costa Rica Star News.2013-07-14.Retrieved2019-07-26.
- ^Murphy, Heather (22 July 2019)."19 Deaths in Costa Rica Tied to Tainted Alcohol, Officials Say".The New York Times.
- ^Humble guaro goes to West Coast to be a starA.M. Costa Rica,April 21, 2004.
- ^Barnes, Michael (May 5, 2005).Gotta guaro? Coming soon to a bar near you.RiversidePress-Enterprise,Cox News Service.ArchivedAugust 26, 2005, at theWayback Machine
- ^Dowd, William M. (July 3, 2007).Down on Drinks: Costa Rican Treat Elusive.Falls Church News-Press.ArchivedJuly 16, 2011, at theWayback Machine
Sources
- "Ley Reguladora de la Venta de Bebidas Alcoholicas. Expediente Nº 15.477 (22 de noviembre de 2005)".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-03-09.English translationCosta Rican law regulating sale of alcohol.