Ingredients
Drink
- 120 mlguaro, Cacique or another cane spirit
- 180 mltomato juice
- juice of 2 limes
- 2 tspSalsa Lizano, or Worcestershire sauce
- hot sauce, to taste
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
To serve
- shot glasses, chilled
- a salt rim, optional
- ice for shaking
Directions
- Use a good tomato juice rather than a thin or over-sweetened one. Chill the tomato juice thoroughly. It should be sour, salty, savoury and hot, with the spirit clearly present.
- Taste and adjust before it goes into the glasses, since a shot is drunk in one and cannot be corrected. Make it more assertive than seems reasonable, since it is drunk fast. Now the heat, which should be real.
- Use a vinegar-based hot sauce rather than a thick one, which would sit at the bottom. Adjust it to taste, and know that a mild version misses the point. Now the lime, which must be fresh.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled, since the acid is most of the drink. Squeeze it gently rather than pressing hard, which extracts bitter oils from the pith. Now the mixing method you should use.
- Shake everything with ice, or stir it in a jug with ice and strain. Chill it thoroughly either way, since a warm chiliguaro is unpleasant.
- Rub a lime wedge round the rim of the glass and dip it in salt, or in salt mixed with chilli powder.
- Mix a batch and keep it in the fridge, and it improves after an hour as the flavours settle. It keeps two or three days refrigerated. Pour it into chilled shot glasses and serve it immediately. Now a straightforward note about it.
Technique
- Guaro is a light unaged cane spirit, closer to vodka than to rum.
- Salsa Lizano is what makes it taste specifically Costa Rican.
- It is almost always mixed in a batch rather than by the glass.
Substitutions
- Vodka or light white rum in place of guaro.
- Worcestershire sauce in place of Salsa Lizano, which contains anchovy.
Variations
- With a chilli salt rim.
- Made hotter, with more hot sauce.
- Served as a longer drink over ice.
History
A bar shot invented in Costa Rica in the late 20th century, now bottled commercially and poured before meals at parties.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chiliguaro?
Chiliguaro is a cocktail from Costa Rica: shot of guaro with tomato juice, lime and hot sauce. A bar shot invented in Costa Rica in the late 20th century, now bottled commercially and poured before meals at parties.
How long does Chiliguaro take to make?
Chiliguaro takes 5 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 4 shots. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chiliguaro?
Yes, within limits. Vodka or light white rum in place of guaro. Worcestershire sauce in place of Salsa Lizano, which contains anchovy.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chiliguaro?
Use a good tomato juice rather than a thin or over-sweetened one. Chill the tomato juice thoroughly. It should be sour, salty, savoury and hot, with the spirit clearly present.
