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The Fabled Pour
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Country

Paraguay

I have 2 sourced drinks connected to Paraguay. The label on each card says how: where it began, what the country is known for, what people drink there, or where the origin is disputed.

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Paraguay on the world map. Boundaries are generalized Natural Earth data.

Drinks of Paraguay

Signature drinks and regional ones, with the evidence behind each. A drink marked non-alcoholic has no alcohol in the traditional serve.

  • Illustration of Terere: bright green yerba packed in the cup with cold clear water poured over it, in a cattle-horn guampa cup filled two-thirds with yerba, a metal bombilla straw standing in it.

    Terere

    Paraguay, shared with Argentina, eastern Bolivia and southern Brazil

    IconicSignature drinkNon-alcoholic

    Yerba mate steeped in iced water, often with crushed herbs added, drunk through a metal straw from a horn cup passed around a group. It is a non-alcoholic composed drink and the country's declared national drink.

    The Guarani drank it before colonization, and the Guarani-Jesuit missions spread the use of mate. Paraguay declared it its official drink, national resolution 219/2019 declared the tereré and herb culture national intangible heritage, and UNESCO inscribed it in December 2020. National Tereré Day falls on the last Saturday of February.

    Made with: yerba mate, cold water, ice, medicinal or refreshing herbs (yuyos) such as mint, lemon balm, verbena or ginger.

    Confidence: mediumEvidence: en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab), en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab), es.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)

  • Illustration of Carrulim: clear pale yellow cane spirit with lemon juice, green rue leaves and lemon slices suspended in it, in a clear glass bottle holding the macerate, with a small plain glass beside it.

    Carrulim

    Paraguay, August 1 custom

    IconicRegional drink

    A macerate of cane spirit with fresh rue leaves and lemon juice and slices, kept in a glass bottle. The custom is to take seven short sips on an empty stomach on August 1, the day believed to bring bad luck. Herbalists (yuyeras) in Asuncion's markets prepare it by the liter and sell it in small jars.

    The name takes the first syllables of caña, ruda and limon. A Paraguayan cultural promoter describes it as a winter flu remedy brought by the Spanish that merged with a Guarani belief about the dangers of August, and relates it to the older herbal liqueur mistela. Press reports say the national culture secretariat recognized it as cultural heritage in 2019.

    Made with: caña (cane spirit), ruda (rue), lemon.

    Confidence: highEvidence: lanacion.com.py (opens in a new tab), abc.com.py (opens in a new tab), lanacion.com.py (opens in a new tab), abc.com.py (opens in a new tab)

Map data: Natural Earth, public domain.