Drinking Traditions of Colombia: 6 Local Beverages That Define a Nation

Colombia’s drinking traditions reflect a mosaic of climates and cultures—from cool Andean cities to the tropical Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Sugarcane thrives in valleys and lowlands, feeding spirits and warm cocktails; maize anchors ancient highland ferments.

What people drink varies by altitude, harvest, and ritual. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian practices meet Spanish colonial techniques, creating a spectrum that runs from low-alcohol, communal brews to robust cane distillates poured at festivals, family gatherings, and street-side celebrations.

Aguardiente is Colombia’s quintessential party spirit: a clear, anise-flavored liquor distilled from sugarcane. Producers rectify cane spirits, infuse natural or synthetic anise essences, and proof with demineralized water, yielding a crisp, aromatic profile. Most bottlings sit between 24% and 29% ABV, with popular departmental brands like Antioqueño (Antioquia), Néctar (Cundinamarca), and Cristal (Caldas). The taste is dry and clean, with licorice, fennel, and a faint sweetness that softens the finish.

Culturally it’s inseparable from communal toasts—shared in small shots (copitas) at birthdays, patron-saint fiestas, and music-filled nights. In Medellín, Feria de las Flores crowds often pass around bottles, pausing for group ‘salud’ breaks between dance sets. Aguardiente is typically sipped neat and chased with water; the etiquette is social, not solitary. You’ll find it in barrio storefronts and countryside fondas alike, especially on weekends when families and friends gather to sing vallenato or música popular well into the night.

Chicha is a lightly alcoholic maize ferment with pre-Columbian roots among Andean peoples such as the Muisca. In Colombia, makers cook and mash corn, sweeten with panela (unrefined cane sugar), and allow a short fermentation—traditionally wild, today often with bread yeast. Alcohol by volume ranges from about 1% to 4%, producing a cloudy, straw-colored drink with gentle lactic tang, cereal aromas, and a faint effervescence. It is nourishing as well as convivial, meant to be shared rather than sipped alone.

Chicha faced municipal bans and stigma in the 20th century, yet it has resurged in Bogotá, where historic neighborhoods like La Candelaria and La Perseverancia host small chicherías and annual cultural events celebrating the brew. You’ll hear clay crock burbles behind the bar and see gourds (totumas) used as serving vessels. Beyond the capital, rural markets in Boyacá and Nariño keep chicha in circulation at harvests and saints’ days, where it pairs with hearty corn-and-potato dishes and the rhythm of Andean brass bands.

Viche (also spelled biche) is an Afro-Colombian cane spirit born in the humid forests and riverine communities of the Pacific departments—Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño. Producers ferment fresh sugarcane juice and distill it in small copper or improvised stills, yielding a rustic, expressive spirit typically between 30% and 45% ABV. Unaged viche is grassy and mineral, while infused versions—known as curados—steep local botanicals and fruits for medicinal, aphrodisiac, or ceremonial purposes.

Long central to rites of passage, funerary customs, and midwifery, viche moved from household economies to broader recognition when Colombia declared it cultural heritage (Law 2158 of 2021), paving the way for legal commercialization. Today you can encounter viche in Cali’s bars and in Buenaventura’s markets, where bottles share space with spice bundles and cacao. Purists sip it neat to appreciate its cane character; bartenders mix it with citrus and tropical fruits to echo the rainforest terroir. It remains, above all, a symbol of Pacific identity and resilience.

Canelazo is Colombia’s winter-warm cocktail—though here “winter” is altitude, not season. It blends aguardiente with hot water, panela syrup, and cinnamon, sometimes augmented by cloves or orange peel. The method is simple: simmer panela and spices into a fragrant aguapanela, remove from heat, and add aguardiente to taste. Depending on the pour, strength lands roughly between 10% and 20% ABV. Aromas are vivid with cinnamon and anise; the palate is warming, gently sweet, and surprisingly light.

You’ll find canelazo at high-altitude kiosks and night markets where temperatures dip after sunset. In Bogotá, street vendors ladle it from steaming pots during December novenas and weekend promenades; in Pasto and Tunja it anchors chilly evenings when plazas fill with families. It pairs naturally with empanadas or almojábanas, and it’s a standard order after hikes or viewpoint visits. While recipes vary by household, the ritual is consistent: hands around a hot cup, conversation unhurried, and a toast against the Andean cold.

Refajo is a casual, low-ABV mixed drink that marries Colombian lager with a sweet kola-style soda, often Colombiana. The classic ratio ranges from 1:1 to 2:1 beer to soda, with some households adding a splash of aguardiente. Because the beer is diluted, final strength hovers around 2% to 3% ABV. Expect a malty-caramel aroma, mild bitterness tamed by vanilla-like soda notes, and plenty of effervescence that makes it thirst-quenching in warm weather.

Culturally, refajo is synonymous with grilling days and soccer viewings. It shows up in Bogotá and Medellín at family asados, in countryside fondas where pitchers arrive frosty, and at casual restaurants serving bandeja paisa or picadas. The drink’s sweetness softens salty, fatty cuts of meat, and its lightness stretches a single beer across a long afternoon. While purists skip ice to preserve carbonation, beachside spots may serve it cold over cubes—either way, it’s a social, shareable staple rather than a bartender’s showpiece.

Colombia’s rum tradition spans mountains and coast, but Ron de Caldas epitomizes the Andean style. Distillers in Manizales ferment molasses, distill to a clean cane spirit, and age it in oak at elevation—conditions that favor slower maturation and tight integration of vanilla, toffee, and dried-fruit notes. Typical bottlings range from 35% to 40% ABV, with age statements from young blends to prestige releases. The aroma leans caramel and oak; the palate is rounded, with restrained sweetness and a dry, spicy finish.

Rum is poured neat at family celebrations, university graduations, and coffee-region gatherings, often alongside desserts or dark chocolate. In Manizales and nearby Pereira, you’ll find dedicated rum bars that highlight regional bottlings and offer side-by-side tastings. On the Caribbean coast, cities like Cartagena showcase coastal expressions in cocktails that play with lime, bitters, and tropical syrups. Whether Andean or Caribbean in character, Colombian rum is less about mixology theatre than measured sipping, conversation, and the slow reveal of oak and cane.