What to Drink in Chile
No Chilean meal is complete without vino (wine) from the countryside, where vineyards like Undurraga, Santa Carolina, Cousiño Macul, and Concha y Toro produce excellent reds and whites for domestic and foreign markets.
Pisco is a powerful grape-based distilled spirit produced in the northern vineyards in the Limarí and Elqui valleys, and as far as Copiapó. It serves as the basis for the pisco sour, Chile's rival to the Mexican margarita. Pisco can also be used by the less controlled drinker to reach outrageous heights of intoxication, followed the next morning by something resembling a hatchet in the forehead.
For those who crave a good beer or ale, be warned that Chile is not the place to find it. There are several watery lagers in cans and bottles, the most full bodied of which is Escudo. The tastiest possibility is one of the mediocre brews on draft. A draft beer is known as a schop (pronounced like "schop") and comes in a nice liter mug, almost enough to convince you that it is a fine hopsy ale.
For the health minded, wonderful juices are available at most restaurants with whatever fruits are in season. Be warned that the Chilean taste for sugar can occasionally make them outrageously sweet, so specify ¨puro jugo sin azucar¨( pure juice without sugar) before if you want it natural.
