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Country

Venezuela

I have 2 sourced drinks connected to Venezuela. 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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Venezuela on the world map. Boundaries are generalized Natural Earth data.

Drinks of Venezuela

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

  • Illustration of Ponche Crema: thick, creamy, opaque pale cream, in a small stemmed liqueur glass.

    Ponche Crema

    Venezuela, Christmas season

    IconicRegional drink

    A rich, creamy egg and rum drink served cold in small cups, often as an aperitif or after dinner. Venezuelans serve it at Christmas in the way eggnog is served in the United States. A homemade version heats the milk with eggs, sugar and spices, strains it, adds rum and chills it.

    The best-known commercial ponche crema was created in Caracas by the chemist and perfumer Eliodoro Gonzalez P. Sources give 1900 for its creation and 1904 for his patent, and the recipe stays secret. Trinidad and Tobago also makes a version.

    Made with: milk or cream, eggs, sugar, rum, spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, citrus zest, Angostura bitters.

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

  • Illustration of Guarapita: bright orange, in a plain cup.

    Guarapita

    Venezuela, beach and party batch drink

    PopularRegional drink

    A fruit punch built on passion fruit juice and rum or cane aguardiente, made in a large batch in a punch bowl and served over ice. One recipe uses 750 ml of rum with 1 liter of passion fruit juice, 1 liter of orange juice and 360 ml of grenadine, with lemon wedges and spearmint.

    The name comes from guarapo, the sugarcane drink. No reliable origin date was found. One blog ties it to university parties where friends shared the cost of a huge batch, and a Tales of the Cocktail article calls it a staple of family gatherings and beach days.

    Made with: rum or aguardiente, passion fruit juice, orange juice, grenadine, lemon wedges, spearmint, ice.

    Confidence: lowEvidence: enrilemoine.com (opens in a new tab), talesofthecocktail.org (opens in a new tab)

Map data: Natural Earth, public domain.