Guaro is a

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

made in many places in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. A clear liquid distilled from

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

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 Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

, and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, although in many places the word "guaro" can refer to almost any liquor. The name "guaro" came from

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. Colombians call it

aguardiente ( Portuguese) or ( Spanish) (; ; ) is a type of distilled alcoholic spirit that contains between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is a somewhat generic term that can refer to liquors made from various foods. It originates from and is t ...

. 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.

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
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''.

References

Notes Sources *
English translation
Costa Rican law regulating sale of alcohol. {{DEFAULTSORT:Guaro (Drink) Liqueurs Costa Rican distilled drinks Spanish distilled drinks Adulteration Sugar-based alcoholic drinks

History

Clandestine and fraudulent production

Deaths

Export

See also

References