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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]In 2019 multiple deaths were reported caused by drinking adulterated counterfeit guaro produced by various criminal organizations.[3]
Export
[edit]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
[edit]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.