Throughout much of Central America, cususa is the name for moonshine. It is synonymous to terms like guaro and lijón. In Nicaragua, corn chicha is the traditional alcohol of choice, so cususa has also been produced from corn. During a national celebration, I find some cususa for sale in Managua.
In many countries around the world, the plastic bottle is eclipsed by its cheaper cousin, the plastic bag. Water, juice, milk, and more are all sold in bags. Some bags are mass produced in factories, while other are filled and tied by a juice vendor at the time of sale. Why do Americans rarely drink from bags? Perhaps because we only drink industrialized beverages.
In Garifuna communities, a type of medicinal rum is produced called guifity. The beverage is produced by soaking over a dozen herbs, roots, barks, and leaves into clear spirits for weeks at a time. While the drink is traditionally a medicine in the Garifuna community, it has gained wider appreciation throughout Honduras.
Kalahuala is a lightly fermented beverage produced by the Garifuna people on the coast on Honduras. It is not entirely clear what the drink is made of, but perhaps it contains palm fruit and sugarcane juice. Additionally, the name calaguala typically refers to a medicinal herb or fern, Polypodium leucotomos, that is common in Central America. Perhaps the drink contains some of this herb.
Guatemalans make a sort of limeade out of salt, limes, and soda water. Interestingly, Argentines have used the same term to refer to a kind of yerba mate. The word comes from the earliest years of Conquest in Latin America, and once referred to escaped slaves.
Only one family in Antigua, Guatemala still makes a traditional spiced limeade called chinchivir. The juice is refreshing, spiced, and complex. But the origins of the limeade are forgotten. Yet, in both Costa Rica and Peru, different drinks with remarkably similar names give a hint as to the origins of chinchivir.
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.
The glass bottles of mezcal that grace your liquor store shelves have not always been that way. Within the last century, mezcal was stored in large 25+ liter jugs. As it became more popular in Mexican bars, ceramic artisans began styling liter sized bottles in the shapes of women, penises, and monkeys known as changos. For a couple decades, the chango ruled, but plastic and glass killed it. Santa Maria Coyotepec is the homeland of the chango mezcalero and other fine black ceramics.
Horchata is one of Mexico’s favorite refreshments. People make it at home and buy it from street vendors in any major town. The drink is traditionally made from either rice or almonds. In Oaxaca, one family has made a name for themselves selling the drink. They have been in the drinks business for over 100 years.
On the streets of Oaxaca, two pre-Hispanic beverages sit side by side. Tejate, a complex drink based on corn and cacao, and agua de chilacayota, a refreshment made from a local gourd, are daily refreshments. While both of these drinks are emblematic of Oaxaca, tejate is laborious to make, involving hours of slow, hand mixing.
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