It’s 9AM and I miss Chile. So, naturally, I’m going to post about liquor. Specifically Chile’s national drink, the terremoto. In Spanish, “terremoto” means “earthquake”, something Chile is rather famous for. They hold the record for the largest earthquake ever recorded. It was a 9.5 (which is basically the apocalypse) back in 1960. And two years ago, when I had been in Chile for about 5 weeks, they experienced the 6th largest earthquake ever recorded (an 8.8. Yeesh.) En Chile, se dice que la tierra “baila.” That means: In Chile they say that the earth dances. There are earthquakes there all the time making it a rather dangerous place to live. However, Chileans pay tribute to their dancing land in the form of tasty, knock-you-on-your-culo (ass) drinks that they serve in some of the diviest bars I’ve ever seen. (The green drink on the right in the picture is called a “maremoto” or “tsunami” and I don’t know what goes in one of those.)
The picture above was taken at a bar called La Piojera, where they specialize in these drinks. As you can see from the table, it is a well-loved place that tourists and Chileans alike flock to. Everything is cheap and hearty, including the food. But the terremotos are what bring people there from all over the world. At 2,000 CLP (about $4 US) they are an extreme bargain for anyone looking to get curado (Chilean for “wasted.” Literally “cured”, like a pickle, like you’re so drunk you’ve been pickled.) I’ve had some of my wildest nights at La Piojera (friends stealing cats, friends getting drinks thrown in their faces, friends dancing on tables, me dancing on tables, etc.) and those were all due to terremotos. So, now that you’ve got the picture of what these drinks are capable of, here’s the recipe.
Ingredients:
Pineapple sherbert or sorbet
The cheapest white wine you can find (boxed is actually preferred)
Fernet (a weird Italian liquor with a minty taste)
Okay, so you take a giant glass and put a couple scoops of pineapple sherbert in it. Then you fill it almost to the brim with white wine. Lastly you splash about a shot of fernet on the top, and you’re done! It’s a good idea to stir it and let the ice cream melt a little bit before drinking it because otherwise it can be kind of harsh. Terremotos are sort of an acquired taste but if you can make it through one you won’t even taste the next two. Buen provecho! And as the Chileans say: Arriba! Abajo! Al Centro! Adentro!
comida de la vida 