Guatemala’s ancestral drinks are maize-based. Atoles are drunk hot, often mid-morning. Cold refrescos include horchata de arroz, tamarindo and rosa de Jamaica, and ponche is made at Christmas. On the alcoholic side, the Cervecería Centro Americana, founded in 1886, makes Gallo and Moza, and Zacapa rum dates from 1976. You must be 18 to buy or drink alcohol. On one 2026 Guatemala City restaurant menu, a bebida natural costs Q30 and a fruit licuado Q35.

TL;DR: Try atol de elote (corn) and, if you find it, atol shuco (fermented maize). For a cold drink, order rosa de Jamaica or horchata. Drink ponche in December, Gallo or Moza beer with lunch, and a Zacapa or Licores de Guatemala rum to finish. Mind the age-18 rule and ley seca on election weekends.

Quick summary

DrinkWhat it isWhen and whereSource
Atol de masaNixtamalised maize dough dissolved in water and boiledPerhaps the atol best known in the capitalPrensa Libre, 2017
Atol de eloteCooked corn kernels, ground and cookedSan Lucas Sacatepéquez calls itself the land of atol de elotePrensa Libre, 2017 and 2026
Atol shucoMaize atol left to fermentDrunk in several placesPrensa Libre, 2017
PinolToasted maize ground on stoneListed among the traditional atolesPrensa Libre, 2017
Horchata de arroz, tamarindo, rosa de JamaicaCold refrescosListed among the refrescos Guatemalans drinkPrensa Libre, 2017
PoncheHot fruit punch with spicesChristmas Eve, with tamalesPrensa Libre, December 2025
Chocolate and cacaoDrink made from cacao seedHot chocolate on Arrin Cuan’s menuMinisterio de Cultura glossary; Arrin Cuan menu
Gallo, MozaBeers from Cervecería Centro AmericanaBrewery founded 1886Brewery’s own site
ZacapaAged rum from first-press sugar caneCreated 1976Zacapa’s own site

Atoles: the hot maize drinks

Atoles hold a special place in Guatemalan cooking. Prensa Libre’s 2017 feature on traditional drinks quotes Luis Villar, a researcher of Guatemalan traditional food: most atoles are made from nixtamalised maize, with exceptions such as atol de elote and pinol. Villar adds that the original pre-Hispanic recipes used no sugar or cinnamon, both of which arrived with the Spanish.

  • Atol de masa. Perhaps the atol best known in the capital, per the article: maize dough dissolved in water and brought to the boil. It is an ancestral drink, mentioned even in the Popol Vuh.
  • Atol de elote. Made from cooked corn kernels that are ground and then cooked. In July 2026 Prensa Libre reported that San Lucas Sacatepéquez is known as the land of atol de elote. The drink is sold there at the Mercado Monumento al Caminero, and the town scheduled its fourth Festival del Atol de Elote for 9 August 2026. Our atol de elote recipe shows how to make it at home.
  • Atol shuco. Also maize-based, but left to ferment. The article says it is drunk in several places.
  • Pinol. Maize that is toasted and ground on a stone.
  • Regional atoles. Ixpashá from Petén uses black maize. Chilate from Baja Verapaz is a dough atol with chile added. Atol de pericón is flavoured with the herb of that name.

The same article notes that Guatemalans have taken to drinking atol mid-morning, though it can be had at any time of day.

Cold refrescos and licuados

Prensa Libre lists horchata de arroz, tamarindo and rosa de Jamaica among the refrescos Guatemalans drink. Two older drinks are more regional. Refresco de chan is a seed steeped in water, drunk in the Verapaces, Quiché and Huehuetenango. Fresco de pepita, made from ground squash seed, is drunk in the east. For home versions, see our horchata and rosa de Jamaica recipes.

Arrin Cuan’s 2026 menu for its zona 9 branch in Guatemala City lists fresh drinks as bebidas naturales, next to licuados de frutas, and prints the prices:

Drink (as printed)PriceAbout US$About C$About £
Bebidas naturalesQ303.935.493.06
Licuados de frutasQ354.586.413.57
CaféQ202.623.662.04
Chocolate con agua o lecheQ303.935.493.06
Cervezas (from)Q303.935.493.06

Conversions at Banguat’s reference rates for business day 3 November 2026. For the restaurant itself, see our where to eat in Guatemala City guide.

Ponche: the Christmas drink

A Prensa Libre feature from 16 December 2025 describes Christmas in Guatemala as tamales, ponche and turkey shared around the table, and the custom of waiting for Nochebuena with something hot to drink. In ancient times that drink was chocolate; ponche was added later. Food researcher Villar Anleu traces it to a drink first called caliente de piña. It fuses Mesoamerican fruits such as pineapple and nance with cinnamon and ginger brought in colonial times. The article warns that in parts of the west, asking for ponche can get you a milk, egg and cinnamon drink instead. Every household has its own version. Our ponche recipe is one of them.

Coffee, cacao and two old highland drinks

Coffee needs no introduction; our coffee tours guide covers the growing regions and the farms that run tours. Two older drinks from the same Prensa Libre feature are worth knowing:

  • Café de tortilla. Toasted tortilla, ground and boiled in water like coffee. Villar says many Indigenous communities wake up to it.
  • Batido de pataxte and batido de cacao. Pataxte is a close relative of cacao. In towns of Huehuetenango, San Marcos, Totonicapán, Quetzaltenango and the Verapaces, both are made from the toasted, ground seed and served as ceremonial drinks.

The Ministry of Culture’s glossary for its UNESCO nominations describes cacao as the Theobroma cacao tree’s fruit, its seed ground into powders for moles, used in smoothies and made into artisanal chocolate tablets. Our chocolate caliente recipe is the everyday hot version.

Beer: Gallo, Moza and the Cervecería Centro Americana

Cervecería Centro Americana says it was founded in 1886 by the brothers Mariano and Rafael Castillo Córdova. Its own brand list includes Gallo (with Chopp Gallo, Gallo 502 and Gallo Light), Moza and Moza Gold, the Dorada range, Monte Carlo and Cabro Reserva, plus Heineken, Tecate and other labels. Gallo comes in several bottle sizes, from 8.5 oz to a litre bottle, and in cans from 12 to 24 oz. Supermarket and restaurant-menu prices for beer are compared on our food and drink prices page.

Rum: Zacapa and Licores de Guatemala

Zacapa dates its rum to 1976, when it was launched for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the city of Zacapa. It is made from first-pressed sugar cane rather than molasses and fermented with a yeast strain derived from pineapples. It is bottled in Mixco, and more than 700 women weave the petate bands on each bottle of Zacapa No. 23. Its range runs from No. 23, aged in casks that held American whiskies and wines, to Edición Negra (a blend aged 6-24 years) and XO (10-25 years).

Licores de Guatemala calls itself the largest producer and distributor of fine aged rums. It promotes the Ron de Guatemala protected designation of origin, which covers the growing area, soils, cane varieties, extraction of the virgin cane honey, fermentation, distillation and ageing in the solera system. It runs three Casa del Ron venues: in Guatemala City (opened December 2004 as Villa Los Añejos), in Antigua (October 2014) and at the airport (2009, remodelled in 2019).

Cusha appears on at least one Guatemala City cocktail list: Ana mixes cusha de Sololá into its house negroni.

Drinking age, ley seca and taking a bottle home

  • Age 18. Código de Salud Article 50 bans selling alcoholic drinks to anyone under 18 and bans under-18s from drinking them in any establishment or on the public way.
  • Ley seca. At elections, ley seca is an order of the Tribunal Supremo Electoral, regulated by Article 223 of the electoral law (LEPP). For the August 2023 second round, AGN reported that the sale and consumption of liquor were banned from noon on Saturday to 06:00 on Monday, enforced by the national police. The daily 01:00-06:00 sales ban and the street-drinking rule are explained on our alcohol laws page, which this page does not repeat.
  • Taking rum home to Canada. For travellers returning after 48 hours or more abroad, the CBSA allows up to 1.14 litres of liquor, 1.5 litres of wine or 8.5 litres of beer free of duty and taxes, one category only. You must meet the drinking age of the province where you land.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most traditional drink in Guatemala?

Atol, a hot maize drink, is the one with documented pre-Hispanic roots. Prensa Libre (15 September 2017) quotes food researcher Luis Villar: most atoles are made from nixtamalised maize, and the atol de masa is an ancestral drink mentioned in the Popol Vuh. The same article notes that Guatemalans tend to drink atol mid-morning, though it is drunk at any hour.

What is atol shuco?

Shuco is a maize atol that is left to ferment, which sets it apart from atoles such as atol de elote (made from cooked, ground corn kernels) and pinol (toasted, stone-ground maize), per Prensa Libre’s 2017 feature on traditional drinks.

How much do drinks cost in a Guatemala City restaurant?

Arrin Cuan’s 2026 zona 9 menu lists bebidas naturales at Q30, licuados de frutas at Q35, coffee at Q20, hot chocolate with water or milk at Q30 and beers from Q30. Q35 is about US$4.58, C$6.41 or £3.57 at Banguat’s 3 November 2026 rates. Supermarket beer prices are on our food and drink prices page.

What is the drinking age in Guatemala?

Eighteen. Article 50 of the Código de Salud (Decreto 90-97) prohibits selling alcoholic drinks to anyone under 18 and also prohibits under-18s from drinking in any establishment or on the public way. The daily late-night sales ban and ley seca rules are on our alcohol laws page.

How much Guatemalan rum can I take home to Canada?

The CBSA lets travellers returning to Canada after 48 hours or more abroad bring in one of: up to 1.14 litres of liquor (one large standard bottle), up to 1.5 litres of wine or up to 8.5 litres of beer, free of duty and taxes. You must meet the minimum drinking age of the province where you enter (CBSA page modified 25 November 2025).