If you are planning a trip to Peru, you might know that Peru is famous for its gastronomy. There are several Peruvian restaurants in the World #50 Best Restaurants list, and 1 or 2 are usually on the Top 10. But it’s not just the food that you have to try. There are some very popular and unique typical drinks in Peru that you should know of!
Typical Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Peru
1. Leche de Tigre (“Tiger’s Milk”)
This is one of the most unique drinks in Peru. It’s not actually tiger’s milk, of course, as there are no tigers in Peru.
Actually, the leche de tigre is the liquid of the traditional dish “cebiche”, made of raw fish marinated in lemon and chili.
They say that this liquid is an afrodisiac, so when people would finish their cebiche, they would pass the remaining liquid to a glass and drink it. The name “tiger’s milk” is because this liquid is whitish, and because they say the tiger’s milk is an aphrodisiac as well.
This tradition of drinking the remains of the cebiche liquid became so popular in Peru, that they started selling the drink in its own. Every chef has its own variation, which may includes some herbs and onions.
If you visit the north of Peru, it will be served hot; while in Lima and in the south people drink it cold.
Where to buy leche de tigre: You can find it in most cebicherías (seafood restaurants).
2. Emoliente
Emoliente is a typical drink among the working class in Peru who have breakfast or dinner at a street stand when heading or coming out from work.
It’s made of barley, flaxseed, horsetail, lemon, and sugar among many other ingredients. It’s a healthy drink, although depending one where you get it, it can be heavy on sugar!
On top of the main ingredients, there are extras that you can ask for if you want it for some specific health issue. For example, they can add special herbs for the liver or for gastritis.
Actually, drinking emoliente is a very old tradition, dating back to the times of the colony, when there were women who used to sell “medicinal waters” in the streets.
Where to buy emoliente: Go around busy streets or avenues in popular areas and look for stands where people are having a drink and maybe eating a sandwich. The best times to find them are around 6-8am or 5-6pm.
In Lima, you won’t find them in Miraflores (or at least I have never seen them). But if you go to Lima center, you will find them all over. In Barranco, there are several, including one next to Metro supermarket.
3. Chicha Morada
Chicha morada is one of the most popular drinks in Peru, if not the most popular. It’s a drink made of purple corn, pineapple and apple peels, quince, lemon, cinnamon and cloves.
This is not just the most popular drink in Peru, but it’s also one of the oldest ones. Even though the way of preparation has changed throughout the years, people have been preparing it from before the times of the Incas!
Even though it used to be used for medicinal reasons, nowadays it’s a very popular drink to have with lunch or dinner.
Where to buy chicha morada: You will find it in most menus of restaurants that serve Peruvian food, all over Peru.
4. Inca Kola
Inca Kola is a Peruvian soft drink that most people in Peru love. It was so popular that Coca Cola tried to defeat it for years, and when they couldn’t, they decided to buy 20 years ago.
Inca Kola has a vibrant yellow color as an homage to the Incas, who worshipped the Sun. Its main ingredient is lemongrass (even though it’s taste is not so prominent), among other herbs.
Tourists in Peru usually love it or hate it. Try it and see what you think about it!
Where to buy Inca Kola: Since Inca Kola is one of the most popular soft drinks, you can buy it anywhere in Peru. For example, at restaurants, shops, supermarkets, bodegas, gas stations, etc.
5. Mate de Coca (coca leaf tea)
Mate de Coca is a coca leaf tea, a popular drink that people in the Andes of Peru have consumed for centuries. Actually, the coca plant is considered sacred among the Andean people.
The taste of the coca leaf tea is a bit bitter, but it has great health benefits.
Make sure to drink it especially when you visit high altitude places in Peru, as it helps with altitude sickness (it makes the blood absorb more oxygen).
It has also an energizing effect, similar to that of coffee.
Where to get coca leaf tea in Peru: Even though noawadays you can find it in many supermarkets in tea bags in many places in Peru, the area where it’s most popular is in the Andes, like in Cusco, Puno or Arequipa. There you will find it at most restaurants or cafes.
Typical Alcoholic Drinks in Peru
1. Pisco Sour
Pisco sour is the national Peruvian cocktail, made out of pisco, a spirit made of grapes.
Besides pisco, pisco sour has lemon, sugar syrup, egg white, cinnamon and bitters. The egg white makes it foamy on top. I don’t like alcohol so much, but I think that pisco sour actually tastes really good.
Even though Peruvians and Chileans fight for in which country did pisco originate, pisco is actually Peruvian 🙂 Ok, I’m Peruvian, but I’m not biased! It’s produced in the region called Pisco (from where it gets its name), where you will pass by if you visit Paracas or Huacachina.
Where to get pisco sour: you can get pisco sour at most bars and in restaurants that serve cocktails. If you are spending some days in Lima, I recommend taking this food tour, which includes a pisco tasting plus a pisco sour mini-class.
2. Masato
If you are looking for one of the most unique alcoholic drinks in Peru, make sure to try masato.
Masato is drink from the jungle made of fermented yucca (casava). What makes it so special, though, is the traditional way of preparing it: women in the Amazon will chew boiled yucca, and spit it into a container. Their saliva will ferment with the yucca, and the result will be masato.
The taste of the masato is bitter, which is why people also call it “yucca beer”.
Nowadays there are “modern” versions of masato which are fermented without saliva but with yeast instead. If you want to try the real experience though, make to try the traditional one!
Where to get masato: You will find masato at the jungle. If you want to taste the traditional one, you will have to go to one of the aboriginal villages.
3. Chuchuhuasi
If you visit the Amazon, besides trying masato, another unique drink that should be on your list is Chuchuhuasi.
Chuchuhuasi is both the name of a tree and of the elixir made from its bark, along with other native ingredients, and macerated in sugar and sugar cane liquor.
They say it’s great for the joints and muscle pain. But the reason a lot of people actually drink it’s because they say it’s a natural jungle viagra!
Where to get Chuchuhuasi: You can get Chuchuhuasi in many cities and towns in the Amazon region.
4. Algarrobina cocktail
If you prefer something softer and sweeter, something that tastes more like a Bailey’s instead of a mysterious jungle elixir, then go for an algarrobina cocktail.
Algarrobina is a syrup that is extracted from an algarrobo tree. It’s great for health and it’s actually considered a superfood.
The cocktail is prepared with algarrobina, plus other ingredientes like milk, egg and sugar syrup. The result is a sweet and milky cocktail that tastes like a dessert.
Where to get an algarrobina cocktail: Algarrobina is more common in the North of Peru, where the algarrobos trees grow, especially in Piura region. But you can get the algarrobina cocktail in many restaurants in Lima and in other parts of the country as well.
5. Chicha de Jora
Do not confuse it with chicha morada! While chicha morada is a light and sweet drink, chicha de jora is an alcoholic drink made of fermented corn.
If you are visiting a town in Peru and there’s a traditional festivity going on, and they offer you “chicha”, don’t make the same mistake I’ve made if you were not in the mood for a strong drink!
Natives have been drinking chicha de jora for thousands of years, especially in the north of Peru and in the highlands. Traditionally, people used it in religious ceremonies and it is still offered to the Mother Earth and the Mountain gods as an hommage for their protection.
Nowadays, chicha de jora is still one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in certain areas in Peru.
Where to get chicha de jora: Chicha de jora is mostly popular in the north of Peru and in the highlands. If you are planning to go to Mancora and plan to visit more rural towns in Piura, you will recognize the places where they sell it because they hang small white flags on the door.
A few other typical drinks in Peru
These are just some examples of the many typical drinks that you can try in your trip to Peru, but there are more.
If you like fruit shakes, make sure to try a lucuma shake. Lucuma is Peruvian fruit, and it makes a delicious sweet and creamy smoothy that tastes like a dessert.
If you are into alcoholic drinks, another typical cocktail in Peru is chilcano, made with pisco and Ginger Ale.
Plus, more and more, there are several artisanal beer bars. In most of them, you will find beers infused with Peruvian flavors, such purple corn beer or golden berry beer.
And while coffee is not native to Peru, Peru has some great quality coffee, which they grow in the Amazon. Make sure to try some good quality one if you stop by a cafe in Barranco during your days in Lima.
As you can see, there’s a long list of interesting and popular drinks in Peru. Make sure to try at least one or two in your next trip to Peru!
