[Recipe + Video] Guavaberry Drink - and Cocolo Culture (2024)

En Español Recipe ↆ Video ↆ

Why we ❤️ it

"Drinking Guavaberry / Watching the sun go down / Woman, that's all I need! / In San Pedro de Macorís.
- Guavaberry, Juan Luís Guerra

For many Dominicans, myself included, that famous 440 song was their first introduction to Cocolo culture. To write about them, I needed to go to the source: San Pedro de Macorís, the Cocolo capital of the Dominican Republic.

For me, this guavaberry drink was love at first try, and I knew right away I needed to share it with you.

What's guavaberry?

Guavaberry is the fruit of the plant Myrciaria floribunda, known as arrayán in the Dominican Republic. It is also the name of a drink made with this fruit that is a traditional Christmas drink in San Pedro de Macorís.

Arrayán or guavaberry trees can only be found in and around El Seibo, in the East-center of the island.

Ingredients Guavaberry drink, jam, and fruits.

How to serve

Guavaberry is typically served chilled, and it's a Christmas tradition in San Pedro. Arrayán is harvested around November, just in time to produce the liqueur for Christmas.

Homemade batches of Guavaberry make excellent Christmas gifts.

Top tips

• Rum: Use Dominican Republic rum, of course. But if you definitely can't find it, any dark rum is adequate. You do not need to use some expensive aged rum; locals make it with good quality but inexpensive Dominican rum.
• Guavaberry fruit: Arrayán – ripe local guavaberries – is harvested in the fall; this is perhaps why Guavaberry is considered a Christmas drink.
• Sugar: You can also use dark cane sugar; it will give it a darker color and improve its flavor depth.

About this recipe

Thanks to Ms. Dunker-Lambert for sharing her recipe and time with me. Thanks to Juan Dunker at Rincón Cocolo, for walking me through the process, and for sending me the arrayán so I could do the work of writing and testing the recipe. Also, thanks to Mrs. Lucia Vda. Thomas, for tasting it and sharing her kind and favorable review of the result.

If you are ever around San Pedro and want to try Cocolo food, pay them a visit. I strongly suggest patrons and visitors make arrangements beforehand, as these dishes are not always available.

Buen provecho!

Recipe

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Guavaberry [Recipe + Video] Cocolo Drink and Jam

By: Clara Gonzalez

Guavaberry is a drink that arrived from the British West Indies with immigrants that settled in the D.R. It has become part of our culinary heritage.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 26mgPotassium: 20mgFiber: 2gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

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