On the eve of hiking Guatemala’s third highest peak, Acatenango, I found myself at a bar asking some backpackers for advice. The group laughed, their advice was not to go to the bar the night before a hike, but one woman earnestly warned, “Bring a hat and wear layers. It’s cold up there.”
I had chosen, like many backpackers, to forgo a comfortable night in one of Antigua’s affordable hostels to sleep on the side of this nearby volcano. The attraction is not so much the hike up the black, igneous slopes, but the view. At night, you can look across the valley at Volcán de Fuego, an active volcano, and watch glowing, red lava spew into the black Guatemalan sky. Fireworks.
Twenty-four hours later, I am huddled around a fire with five other backpackers shivering with regret at not having packed more clothes, warmer clothes, anything to keep my blood hot through the night. The wind whips across the tree-bare slope drowning out conversation as we glance from our sputtering campfire over to the distant hell of Fuego’s bursting red peak. Echoes of eruptions reverberate across the valley like a thunderous belly laugh—Fuego mocking the gringo for his stupidity.
One of my fellow hikers, an Austrian, breaks the ice. He holds a bottle the size of his hand. We recognize it immediately. Quetzalteca.
Anyone who has traveled in Guatemala knows Quetzalteca. It is ubiquitous, cheap, and strong. With a traditionally dressed indigenous woman welcoming you on its logo, Quetzalteca acts as Guatemala’s unofficial national drink.
The largest distillery in Guatemala (owner of Zacapa and Botran Rum for those familiar with Guatemalan rums) distills Quetzalteca from cane sugar and bottles it at 36 ABV. In Latin America, this proof distinguishes Quetzalteca as aguardiente, a general term in Spanish for liquor distilled from fruit or cane sugar, which translates as agua-water and ardiente-burning. At less than 2 USD a bottle, my backpacker’s budget had familiarized me with the sharp, sweet burning and the head-swimming warmth that makes Quetzalteca famous.
We pass the bottle around the fire, swigging happily and reveling in the burning sensation that the liquor gives the throat. Soon, we are laughing at the wind and our bodies warm up to the idea of sleeping on the side of this volcano. We look from the fiery peak of Fuego to the clear bottle glimmering red in our campfire. Between the six of us, we finish two little bottles. I turn my back to the eruptions of Fuego. My head pulsating from aguardiente, fire water, I crawl into my tent.
If you ever hike Acatenango, or any mountain in Guatemala, pack a hat—and a little bottle of Quetzalteca.
Mandrake is notorious, but not well known for its use in beverages. The root was a staple in ancient medicine and medieval witchcraft, but is rarely used today. In many instances of its use, it was consumed as a drink. From the juice of its root, to wine infused with its bark, to tea made from its leaves, this magical plant has imparted its chemicals to humans in a variety of beverages.
Quakers have an interesting relationship with drink. The foundation of Quakerism involved the abandonment of wine as a sacrament. During the 19th century, Quakers would be prominent Temperance advocates. They even pushed hot chocolate and root beer as sober alternatives. Today, some Quakers may drink, but always moderately.
Makgeolli is a thousands year old Korean tradition. The past 100 years have seen the rice wine fall out of favor as brewing was illegalized and rice consumption was rationed by the government. Recently, the drink has made a comeback as a health fad. And now you can brew it at home in just 24 hours!
Most have heard of the worm in the tequila or mezcal bottle. Many have wondered what it’s all about. But a Google search does not do the tradition justice. The agave worm is an intriguing delicacy and has been used in Oaxacan cuisine for centuries. I went to the mezcal capital of the world to explore the culture of the mezcal worm. The practice of flavoring mezcal with the worm is likely quite traditional.