Anytime you watch a Hollywood blockbuster or comedy series such as FRIENDS, you will hear words like margarita or tequila bandied around. The other day, Hollywood actor Will Smith and his family were making a joke about their son, Jaden, being in existence because of tequila.
Sipping your favourite cocktail by the pool in your swimsuit is arguably the best way to watch a sunset or while a day away. Latin America leads the way when it comes to amazing cocktails. Experience the following Latin American cocktails on your upcoming vacation.
Tequila: Mexico
There is even a song whose lyrics are…tequila. There are instrumentals at a certain interval and then everyone yells, “Tequila!” It can’t get more popular than that. Tequila is the most popular drink in and outside of Mexico. It is derived from the agave plant via distillation and you drink it with salt and a bit of lemon. Margarita is possibly the most popular cocktail that uses tequila.
Pisco Sours: Peru and Chile
The Peruvians and Chileans are still at war on the origin of both pisco which is a grape brandy and the base of this popular cocktail. Both countries claim the drink. However, the cocktail and the brandy are completely different in either country. They can, therefore, be treated as different things.
Peruvian Pisco
· It is always bottled at distillation strength
· Never wooded
Chilean Pisco
· Aged in oak barrels
· Diluted to 40% alcohol
When you drink pisco neat, these differences are more pronounced. However, there are subtle differences in the cocktail too which you will be able to tell. More information about Latin American cocktails is available at https://www.vamos.net.au.
The Ingredients
Pisco sours contain the following ingredients:
· Sugar in either granulated or syrup form
· Lime juice/lemon juice
· Ice
· Egg white (Peru)
· Bitters (Peru)
The Peruvian cocktail feels smoother because of the latter additions. The one thing these cocktails from both countries have in common is that they are both cool and refreshing; the perfect summer cocktail.
Mojito: Cuba
The world thanks Cuba for this utterly refreshing cocktail. Although it has its roots in Havana, Cuba, it is said to have been brought into being by Francis Drake, a renowned pirate. Apparently, he was looking for something to combat scurvy. He mixed white rum with sugar, lime and crushed mint leaves to create a potion to get rid of the illness. He left Mojitos behind in Havana when he left.
Caipirinha: Brazil
A vacation in Brazil would be incomplete without the Caipirinha. This cocktail contains the following:
· Cachaҫa
· Crushed ice
· Muddled lime wedges
· Sugar
The summer will be that much cooler with a caipirinha in hand. Cachaҫa is closely related to rum but uses fresh sugarcane juice instead of molasses. There many variations of caipirinha to choose from including passion fruit and strawberries instead of lime.
Conclusion
You cannot fully experience Latin America without experiencing their world famous cocktails. In fact, going to beautiful Cuba and asking for your favourite beer instead of a mojito would probably be met with prolonged groaning followed by you being dumped into the pool in disgust.
