Licor de calafate is an alcoholic beverage typical of Argentine Patagonia, made from the calafate berry, a shrub native to the region.
Its sweet flavor, with bitter and tart notes, makes it a traditional digestif highly valued in southern Argentina.
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Argentine Calafate Liqueur
- Prep Time: 48 hours
- Total Time: 48 hours
- Yield: 20 glasses
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients
- 3 kg of calafate berries (about 6.6 lb)
- 1 liter of fine neutral grain alcohol (about 4.25 cups)
- 1 liter of water (about 4.25 cups)
- 500 g of sugar (about 1.1 lb)
Instructions
- Macerate the berries, place the 3 kg of calafate berries together with the liter of grain alcohol in a large, well-sealed jar (damajuana).
- Let it rest, store the jar in a warm place or at room temperature for 3 months.
- Make the syrup, after that time, remove the fruit from the jar and prepare a syrup with the water and sugar. Let cool.
- Grind, grind the macerated calafate and pass it through a fine strainer or sieve.
- Rinse the fruit, while straining, rinse the fruit with the reserved alcohol and syrup to extract all the flavor.
- Combine, mix the strained liquid with the cold syrup.
- Age, bottle the liqueur and let it rest for 6 more months to develop its full flavor.
- Serve, serve cold, in small glasses, as a digestif.
Tips for getting it right
- Choosing well-ripened calafate berries improves the liqueur’s final flavor.
- Keeping the jar in a warm place during maceration helps extract more flavor from the fruit.
- Straining the liquid well keeps skin or seed remnants out of the finished liqueur.
- The 6-month bottle aging is key for the liqueur to develop its full flavor.
Traditional variations
- Some Patagonian families make quicker versions with a shorter maceration time, though with a less intense flavor.
- A calafate jam is also made from the same fruit, as a non-alcoholic alternative.
How to serve
Licor de calafate is served cold, in small glasses, as a digestif after meals.
It’s a classic souvenir and traditional drink of Argentine and Chilean Patagonia.
Recommended sides
- Patagonian cheeses
- Dark chocolate
Did you know?
Calafate is a shrub native to Argentine and Chilean Patagonia, and there’s a popular saying that whoever eats its fruit will return to the region.
Traditional preparation of the liqueur takes several months between maceration and bottle aging.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a shrub native to Argentine and Chilean Patagonia, whose small, blue fruit is used to make jams and liqueurs.
The full process takes about 9 months: 3 months of macerating the fruit in alcohol and 6 months of bottle aging.
Straining and rinsing the fruit with the alcohol and syrup extracts all of the calafate's flavor before discarding the solid remains.
It's served cold, in small glasses, as a digestif after meals.
