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It's Saturday morning and you're feeling a little foggy. You're in the small Guatemalan town of Antigua, a UNESCO world heritage site nestled between three active and non-active volcanoes. There are twenty-nine volcanoes in Guatemala, but that hasn't put you off because Antigua, Guatemala is warm and sunny. And the quetzal to US dollar exchange is good, so everything's pretty cheap, making it a great place to party. Hence your fog. When you get a text from a new Guatemalan friend on your temporary two-pixel Nokia cell (phone circa 1999) that reads Picocitas today? You're not sure what he means. But this doesn't stop you from splashing some water on your face and heading out to meet him.
You find him at Hugo's Ceviche truck, several of which are dispatched from Hugo's brick and mortar restaurant on 7a Calle. The trucks set up shop on several of the busier streets from about 10am to 3pm every Friday through Sunday. They sell several varieties of ceviche, including camarón (shrimp), concha (conch) and caracol (snail), in plastic containers with packets of saltine crackers to dip into the lime and spicy tomato juice. Chapines (common slang for 'Guatemalans') come from all over to sit on plastic stools on the busted up yet quaint sidewalks to eat and nurse their hangovers and chat with the guys who work the truck.
The ceviche is reasonably priced, a quart of ceviche with four types of seafood costs about $11, and it's touted as some of the best ceviche in Guatemala, but your friend doesn't order it. He tells you, the thing you're looking for on this mobile shell and fish-laden Ford is not a food, it's a drink. The picocita, Guatemala's hangover cure, is a well-kept secret.
Now a picocita is one of those fun beer refreshers, like the Mexican beer cocktail michelada, but better. It starts with a beer, usually Gallo Draft, a lesser quality brew than its popular cousin, simply called Gallo. While both are produced in Guatemala, Draft is only available in Mexico, where it's sold dirt cheap, so if these guys have it in Antigua, someone's probably made a 'daytrip' north in a pickup.
One of the guys working the truck hands you and your friend a Gallo Draft in a small paper bag and you watch your friend take a few sips before returning it. You follow suit. The bartender/ceviche slinger then fills your Drafts with ingredients in this order—a spoonful of salt, a spoonful of chile/chopped onion/vinegar mix, a generous squeeze of lime, a generous squeeze of Worcestershire sauce and another good dose of lime juice. The beers are handed back to you, the paper bags wet from condensation and a bit of lime juice.
You take a sip. You feel revived. The spice of the chile jolts you out of your fog and the tang from the Worcestershire sauce, lime, and the bubbles from the beer perk up your tongue. The onion settles your stomach and the salt makes you crave water (Hangover Cure 101: Drinking lots of fluids is a good thing). Your friend watches you with knowing eyes, as the power of the picocita takes its effect, instantly changing your outlook on the day.
Photograph by Natalie Rose
Now you're ready to see the sights like the Arch of Santa Catarina. You're ready to climb those volcanoes, walk on the beach at Monterrico, and explore the Mayan ruins at Tikal. You're also ready to tackle the night again, bar hopping from one salsa club to the next, only to wake up tomorrow morning in your hostel to text your friend—Picocitas today?
Picocitas
Got a hangover in New York? You can easily make picocitas at home.
Prep: 5 minutes. Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves 4
¼ small onion
1 jalapeño pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar
4 cans Mexican or Guatemalan (good luck finding that) beer, like Corona or Gallo Draft
salt
2 limes
Worcestershire sauce
1. Chop onion and jalapeño very fine (if you have a mini food processor, you can use this). Mix with ¼ cup each white vinegar and water, mix and let set for 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Open beers. Pour out a small portion of the beer or have your amigos take a couple sips to make room. Spoon ¼ teaspoon salt (or less, if you prefer) into can opening. Watch carefully, as sometimes beers will foam. Follow the salt with one tablespoon or more onion and chile mixture. Cut one lime in half and using a citrus press or juicer, squeeze juice evenly into cans. Add one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce to each beer, and then juice the other lime to finish off your picocitas. Serve and enjoy!
Natalie Rose is a freelance writer and multimedia producer. She writes about travel and culture, fascinating people she encounters on her travels and anything to do with food. She produces documentaries, branded content and commercial projects.
