During the long days of COVID-19 lockdown, everybody had time to contemplate bringing dreams to fruition.
Entrepreneur Diana Espinosa March and her husband, Ricardo March, used the time to lay the groundwork for launching Bacan Guaro, a modern take on aguardiente, a traditional clear spirit from Colombia.
Born in northern Italy with Italian and Spanish roots, Ricardo enjoyed wine at family meals and celebration and never tried aguardiente until he wed Diana in 2018 in her native Colombia.
“We had around 150 guests, including over 90 family members and friends from Europe,” he recalls. “Every time we made a toast to celebrate, shots of a clear, licorice-flavored spirit were raised. This was my introduction to aguardiente.”
The name translates to “fire water.” In Colombia, it goes by the nickname guaro.
The beverage comes from sugarcane (or molasses) fermented with pure local water and then distilled into a fiery spirit with an alcohol kick. But unlike other clear spirits such as gin and vodka, which typically carry an alcohol by volume of between 40% and 47%, aguardiente’s ABV is usually between 24% and 29%.
As Ricardo quickly learned, aguardiente is Colombia’s national drink. Billboards throughout the country advertise various brands with colorful packaging. Whenever locals get together — playing dominoes on the square, enjoying casual meals in cantinas or partying at local clubs — they drink aguardiente.
Tourists in Colombia also can’t seem to get enough of the stuff.
In his popular show “Parts Unknown,” the late Anthony Bourdain once famously drank aguardiente shots while enjoying cantina street food in mountain towns. Later, he drank it while eating fish stew and loafing on one of Colombia’s windswept Caribbean beaches at sunset.
But therein lies a key issue, as Diana and Ricardo March saw it: Aguardiente rarely leaves the country.
Traditional aguardiente production presents a big challenge, according to Ricardo. State-run monopolies control aguardiente production in each of Colombia’s regions. Until very recently, by law, aguardiente from one region could not be sold in a neighboring region. The system created lots of tax revenue for state governments, but there was little incentive to export.
Private entrepreneurs essentially are frozen out. Ricardo and Diana, however, were determined to find a way to start sharing the best aspects of the aguardiente experience — the celebrations and joie de vivre — more widely.
As a career professional in the wine and spirits trade (including distribution and brand building), Ricardo focused on the business side of the challenge. Diana concentrated on the creative side. They started with ingredients.
The Birth Of Bacan Guaro
“My mom always said that in order to cook well you have to start with quality ingredients,” Ricardo recalled.
They applied the same theory to the ingredients for their aguardiente.
Intense experimentation led to a final recipe that refined the flavor and texture of their aguardiente. They start with only organically grown, fresh-pressed South American sugarcane instead of molasses. They do not add sugar to sweeten the final spirit.
After fermentation, distillation takes place five times in small 1,000-liter batches. Then, slowly infusing organic Spanish star anise imparts subtle yet enticing licorice notes. Finally, adding purified water reduces the strength to 48 proof (24% ABV) in Bacan Guaro 24, or 59 proof (29% ABV) in Bacan Guaro 29.
All production occurs in Colombia in a free-trade zone that, before restrictions were removed, was exempted from Colombian state monopolies on aguardiente. Before final export, the couple settled on the name Bacan Guaro.
In the local parlance, Bacan refers to something awesome or cool. It can also refer to the “good life,” which is exactly what the founders want to invoke with an aguardiente appealing to both Colombian palates and worldwide tastes.
After Bacan Guaro’s launch in June 2024, initial results have been encouraging, according to Ricardo. Bacan Guaro 24 won a double gold medal at the 2024 SIP Awards International Spirit Competition. The Bacan Guaro 29 won a gold medal at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Unlike other anise-based liqueurs such as sambuca and anisette, Bacan Guaro has a lighter, smoother, more refined texture, which makes it a perfect choice either straight or over ice. Ricardo also suggests substituting Bacan Guaro aguardiente for gin in a classic Negroni as an aperitivo.
Meanwhile, Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos incorporates Bacan Guaro into creative cocktails to customer acclaim at his Michelin-starred Elcielo restaurants in Washington D.C. and Miami.
In the United States, Bacan Guaro 24 and Bacan Guaro 29 each retail for $49.99 per 700ml bottle. To try both strengths, you can order 200ml bottles of each in a gift set for $54.99 at BacanGuaro.com.
For a tasty cocktail, try the following provided by Bacan Guaro:
Bacan Berry Smash
Ingredients:
Two mint sprigs
½ cup fresh raspberries (or 2 ounces frozen raspberries, defrosted)
½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce agave (adjust to taste)
1½ ounces Bacan Guaro 29
Grapefruit soda
Mint sprig and/or slice of pink grapefruit, for garnish
Muddle mint, raspberries, lime juice, agave and Bacan Guaro 29 in a shaker.
Add ice and shake well.
Pour into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Top with grapefruit soda.
Garnish with mint and/or a slice of pink grapefruit.
— Bacan Guaro
Cheers!