What Do You Order to Drink in Chile?

Yo voy a tomar….

Just got to Chile and need a drink after that 12, 16 or 20 hour flight here? Heading to Patio Bellavista with the rest of the tourists to grab a drink. But…what should you drink? 

You might think of Chilean wine: the famous Carménère wine; the lost grape of France, found in Chile.  Or another one of their wines from the Casablanca Valley (shown below). A decent bottle only costs $5 US. 

I even did the tour and learned about the wine. The valley here is drier than Napa. The red grapes are crushed and the white wine grapes are smashed differently. The reds sit in the oak barrels longer than the white wines stay in their tanks. The oaky flavor comes from the oak of the oak barrels. Lots of learning con caña. 


But I can't remember it all because I drank too much Piscola the night before. Piscola? What is that? Let me tell you. The Pisco is the liquor - made from fermented grapes - I think. It is the ONLY drink option at house parties, BBQs or sometimes, a bar or club. Chileans love their Pisco. It is never my first choice but sometimes my only option. You should never take a shot of it (I haven't). And you don't drink it on the rocks.

Vodka is expensive here. Whiskey: you'll see Jim Beam or $40 for a bottle of Johnny Walker. Rum: too many college nights with the Captain, so I don't want to think about drinking it here. Tequila: that's Mexico, Arizona and anywhere else in the US. I shouldn't generalize (but, why not?) but maybe Chileans think tequila is too spicy. They do think that jalapeños are very spicy.

There are different % and a few different brands. But, the proof below is that there are 2 main brands by people old enough to purchase decent liquor. Mistral or Alto de Carmen. This is the table the morning after a Chilean party. What you can't see are all the empty 2-liter Coke bottles. 

Coke and Pisco. Cheap and almost every Chileans will drink it. If girls bring the drinks, you've at least got Coke Light (Diet Coke in SA) instead of full-on Coke. It is so heavy, how do they drink so much Coke!? Find one that doesn't and you win a prize! They are very proud of their Pisco - so, you've got to try it. I just can't wait until I'm at a bar that thinks it is okay when I order my vodka + tonic with a lemon slice. And a margarita on the rocks, no salt. Yum.

You do have another option with Pisco. And that is the Pisco Sour. It is a citrusy-very, very sweet drink made with egg white, sugar and lemon/lime. Have 2 and you are done for the night. In Denver, Madison Street makes them - go ahead and try it!

Beer? Everyday, cheap beer: Escudo, Cristal. Better "artesenal" beers: Austral, Kuntsmann, Kross

The new(er) trend that hasn't reached a tipping point yet are the cervecerias: crafted beer. There are some good ones, especially in Southern Chile. I'll try a few more before I tell you about those…

**Thanks, Jen for reminding me to write about something SO important: drinking in Chile!