Drinks
Bottled fizzy drinks ( colas or gaseosas ) can be obtained all over Ecuador, particularly Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Note that if you want to take your Coke away with you, you'll have to pay a deposit on the glass bottle; a more common solution is to get it put en bolsa , in a small plastic bag with a straw. Recyclable plastic bottles and cans are becoming more common, but they are more expensive. Bottled mineral water is also widespread, but restaurants commonly only stock the sparkling variety ( con gas ) named Guitig - if you want still water ( sin gas ), you'll find it in most groceries and supermarkets. Ecuador has more types of fruit than you can imagine, certainly far more than there are English names for, and just about all of them are made into mouthwatering juices ( jugos ). The most common fruit juices are made from maracuya (passion fruit), tomate de arbol (more fruity than a tomato, but not to everyone's taste), naranjilla (sweet and tart at the same time), pina (pineapple), naranja (orange), guanabana (a very sweet white fruit), and mora (blackberry), but there are many others. Juices can come pure ( puro ) or mixed with water - make sure it's purified water. When they're mixed with milk they're called batidos . Considering that Ecuador is a major coffee producing country, it's a shame there's not more of the real stuff about. Most cafes and restaurants will have a jar of Nescafe on the table, though a few places have esencia de cafe , a kind of liquid coffee distillate. You'll get a cup of hot milk if you ask for cafe con leche , and hot water for black coffee if you specify cafe negro . There's often a pot of chocolate powder lying around as well, for hot chocolate or for mixing the two together for mocha. Tea ( te ) is served without milk and usually with a slice of lemon. Asking for te con leche is likely to get you a cup of hot milk and a teabag. For just a dash of milk, it's best not to say anything until your (milkless) tea arrives, and then ask for a little milk. Herbal teas ( aromaticas ) come in a variety of flavours, some of which are familiar, while others are made from native plants. Beer essentially comes in two forms. Pilsener is the people's beer, weak and light and in big bottles, while Club is a bit stronger, a bit more expensive and comes in small bottles or cans. Foreign brands are available in some city bars, but you'll have to pay for the privilege. Ecuadorian wine is a bit rough around the edges and isn't that common, but you'll find good Chilean and Argentinian vintages in the smarter restaurants for less than you'd pay at home. The local tipple, especially in the sierra, is chicha , a fermented corn drink of which there are many varieties. Buckets - literally - of the stuff do the rounds at all highland fiestas. In the Oriente, the chicha is made from yuca , which is chewed up, spat in a pot and allowed to ferment. Aguardient e (also called cana or punta ) is a sugarcane spirit , sharper than rum ( ron ), that will take off the roof of your mouth. In fiestas they might mix it with fruit juices, or in the sierra drink it as canelazo , adding sugar, cinnamon ( canela ) and hot water to make a traditional highland warmer. On the coast it stars in many cocktails, the most ubiquitous being caipirina , in which it (or rum) is combined with lime juice, sugar and ice.
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