Coffee has been the driving force in the Costa Rican economy long before Four Seasons set up shop in Papagayo. The former mansions of coffee barons are now some of the best hotels in San Jose and coffee tours to a number of large plantations are spread around the country from Monteverde to the Caribbean coast. Many are just minutes from the capital. The best is from Café Britt, who has a number of coffee tours from their roastery and plantation in Heredía, Costa Rica.

This is a strong, refreshing cocktail that has been going around mixology circles in various forms, not always with Grand Marnier though. The combination of Pisco and elderflower balances really well. I like adding the Grand Marnier because it adds a bit of smoothness. Plus, everything tastes better with Grand Marnier.

It wasn’t until a recent trip to Argentina that I had ever heard of the liquor Fernet Branca. They consider a national drink there, though it is made in Milan, Italy. I still had yet to taste it, but a few weeks ago at Duty Free in the Dusseldorf, Germany airport there was a sale so I couldn’t resist.

Few realize the quality of wines produced in Peru most likely because the grape growing region is quite small. Ica, south of Lima, is the epicenter of the Peruvian wine and Pisco industy. There are just a few major labels such as Ocucaje and Tacama. The region benefits from the… Read More →

Colombia’s cuisine, influenced heavily by the Spanish and Indigenous populations, is not as widely known as other Latin American cuisines such as Peruvian or Brazilian, but to the adventurous traveler there is plenty of delectable dishes to try, not to mention bizarre fruits, rum, and of course, Colombian coffee.

When most people think of anything culinary in Chile they think of wine, but there is much more to the culinary range of this country than just swilling Carmenere in the Maipo Valley. Chilean food on the most part is quite boring, when compared to that of Peru or Argentina, but there are a few areas/foods of interests that are beyond extraordinary.