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TEFL Training In Costa Rica | Updated: 02/25/2023

Costa Rican Recipes-Drinks

Written by International TEFL Academy Costa Rica


It's no secret that Costa RIca is famous for its aromatic and tasty coffee, but we wanted to share a a couple of other favorite drink recipes in Costa Rica:  a warm, soothing beverage and a fiery, tasty shot.


Agua Dulce

2 cups boiling water

1 1/2-2 Tablespoons tapa dulce/dulce molido


Put the dulce in the bottom of your coffee mug and add the boiling water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Add milk, as desired. 

Literally translating to "sweet water," this hot beverage is a traditional Costa Rican addition to breakfast or rainy afternoons.  Unrefined cane sugar produces a caramel flavor and a light brown color, similar to tea.  Agua dulce is traditionally made with pieces of solid cane syrup, and you can still find the "tapas dulces" in all markets in Costa Rica.  You can also find it already ground ("dulce molido").



Chiliguaro

1 375ml bottle of guaro (Cacique) 

1 bottle of Tabasco (or any hot sauce of your liking)

10-12 limes


Costa Rica offers a variety of limes, so pick your favorite!  We especially like the mandarinas, that are a bit sweeter.  Juice all of the limes into a pitcher and add the guaro.  Mix in the hot sauce, starting with only half of the bottle.  Taste and add the hot sauce until you reach the desired flavor.  Chiliguaro is usually served as a shot with a salted rim!

Chiliguaro is a spicy shot served at nearly every bar in the country, and all of these bars claim they have the best recipe!   Actually, you'll find that many bars here put a lot of tomato juice in their Chiliguaro so it ends up tasting a bit like a spicy Bloody Mary, however, we prefer to cut to the chase and eliminate the extra tomato.   Play around with the recipe until you get it exactly the way you want it!  

Also depending on Costa Rica's sugar production, guaro is a clear sixty proof liquor made from distilled sugar cane.  Cacique is considered the original and most popular brand of guaro and can be found in any supermarket or liquor store.  Although the flavor isn't special on its own, Cacique is cheap and will get the job done! 



We'll keep sharing more traditional Costa Rican recipes, and don't forget that we offer cooking classes to our alumni and students in our 4-week TEFL training!  If you haven't already saved your spot in our course, talk to us today!  


Costa Rican Recipes-with rice

Costa Rican Recipes-Soups

Costa Rican Recipes-Sweets

Costa Rican Recipes-with plantains

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