{
  "slug": "bolivian-drinks-traditional-guide",
  "url": "https://lovebolivia.com/bolivian-drinks-traditional-guide/",
  "urlEs": "https://lovebolivia.com/es/bolivian-drinks-traditional-guide/",
  "title": "Bolivian Drinks: 15 Traditional Drinks to Try and Where to Order Them",
  "titleEs": "Bebidas bolivianas: 15 bebidas típicas que probar y dónde pedirlas",
  "excerpt": "From a steaming cup of purple api at a La Paz market to a chuflay made with singani, Bolivia's national spirit, these are the 15 Bolivian drinks worth ordering, what they taste like, where to find them and how to drink safely at altitude.",
  "excerptEs": "De una taza humeante de api morado en un mercado de La Paz a un chuflay preparado con singani, el destilado nacional, estas son las 15 bebidas bolivianas que merece la pena pedir, a qué saben, dónde encontrarlas y cómo beber con seguridad en la altura.",
  "date": "2026-09-15",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-15",
  "readTime": "11 min",
  "eco": "valleys",
  "tags": [
    "Bolivian Food",
    "Bolivian Drinks",
    "Singani",
    "Culture",
    "Travel Tips"
  ],
  "author": "Daihana Travel",
  "imgUrl": "https://images.pexels.com/photos/28490839/pexels-photo-28490839.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=650&w=940",
  "llmSummary": "Singani, Bolivia's national spirit, is a 40% ABV grape brandy distilled only from Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown at least 1,600 m above sea level, a rule set by Supreme Decree 25569 of 1999. The most typical non-alcoholic Bolivian drinks are api (a hot, spiced purple-corn drink), mocochinchi (a cold drink of dried peaches boiled with cinnamon) and mate de coca, a coca-leaf tea that is legal in Bolivia but can trigger a positive cocaine drug test. Chicha, a fermented corn beer, is the traditional alcoholic drink of the Cochabamba valleys, while Paceña, brewed in La Paz by Cervecería Boliviana Nacional (founded in 1886), is the best-known beer.",
  "llmSummaryEs": "El singani, destilado nacional de Bolivia, es un aguardiente de uva de 40 % vol. elaborado solo con uva moscatel de Alejandría cultivada a 1.600 m de altitud o más, norma fijada por el Decreto Supremo 25569 de 1999. Las bebidas bolivianas sin alcohol más típicas son el api (bebida caliente y especiada de maíz morado), el mocochinchi (bebida fría de durazno deshidratado hervido con canela) y el mate de coca, una infusión legal en Bolivia que puede dar positivo en un test de cocaína. La chicha, cerveza de maíz fermentado, es la bebida alcohólica tradicional de los valles de Cochabamba, y la Paceña, elaborada en La Paz por la Cervecería Boliviana Nacional (fundada en 1886), es la cerveza más conocida.",
  "keyFacts": [
    "Singani must be distilled from Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown at least 1,600 m above sea level, under Supreme Decree 25569 of 1999, and is bottled at 40% ABV.",
    "Bolivia declared singani an exclusive native product in 1988 (Supreme Decree 21948) and protected its denomination of origin with Law 1334 in 1992.",
    "A cup of coca tea made from 1 gram of coca leaves contains about 4.2 mg of coca alkaloids and can cause a positive drug test for cocaine.",
    "Bolivia left the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs on 1 January 2012 and rejoined on 10 February 2013 with a reservation allowing traditional coca-leaf chewing on its territory.",
    "Cervecería Boliviana Nacional, maker of Paceña, was formed in La Paz on 20 October 1886 and now controls about 80% of Bolivia's beer market as part of AB InBev."
  ],
  "entities": [
    {
      "name": "Singani",
      "type": "Thing"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cervecería Boliviana Nacional",
      "type": "Organization"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tarija",
      "type": "Place"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cochabamba",
      "type": "Place"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yungas",
      "type": "Place"
    },
    {
      "name": "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime",
      "type": "Organization"
    }
  ],
  "faqItems": [
    {
      "q": "What is the national drink of Bolivia?",
      "a": "Singani is Bolivia's national spirit. It is a clear grape brandy of 40% ABV, distilled from Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown above 1,600 m, mainly in Tarija. The most popular way to drink it is the chuflay, singani mixed with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda and a squeeze of lime.",
      "qEs": "¿Cuál es la bebida nacional de Bolivia?",
      "aEs": "El singani es el destilado nacional de Bolivia. Es un aguardiente de uva transparente de 40 % vol., elaborado con uva moscatel de Alejandría cultivada por encima de 1.600 m, sobre todo en Tarija. La forma más popular de tomarlo es el chuflay, singani con ginger ale o gaseosa de lima-limón y un chorro de limón."
    },
    {
      "q": "What is a traditional non-alcoholic drink in Bolivia?",
      "a": "Api is the classic one: a thick, hot drink of purple or white corn spiced with cinnamon and cloves, sold at markets in the morning with a fried pastry. In warm weather Bolivians drink mocochinchi, made from dried peaches boiled with sugar and cinnamon and served cold.",
      "qEs": "¿Cuál es una bebida tradicional sin alcohol en Bolivia?",
      "aEs": "El api es la clásica: una bebida espesa y caliente de maíz morado o blanco, especiada con canela y clavo, que se vende por la mañana en los mercados con un pastel frito. Cuando hace calor, los bolivianos toman mocochinchi, hecho con duraznos deshidratados hervidos con azúcar y canela y servido frío."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is coca tea legal in Bolivia, and can I take it home?",
      "a": "Coca tea (mate de coca) is legal and sold everywhere in Bolivia. Taking it home is a different matter: coca tea is illegal in the United States unless it is decocainized, and most other countries also prohibit importing coca leaves. One cup can also produce a positive result on a drug test for cocaine.",
      "qEs": "¿El mate de coca es legal en Bolivia y puedo llevarlo a mi país?",
      "aEs": "El mate de coca es legal y se vende en todas partes en Bolivia. Llevarlo a casa es otra cosa: es ilegal en Estados Unidos si no está descocainizado, y la mayoría de los países también prohíben importar hojas de coca. Además, una sola taza puede dar positivo en un test de cocaína."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can you drink tap water in Bolivia?",
      "a": "No. Travellers should not drink tap water in Bolivia. Buy bottled water, use a filter bottle or boil water, and be cautious with ice and uncooked fruit juices at market stalls until your stomach has adjusted.",
      "qEs": "¿Se puede beber agua del grifo en Bolivia?",
      "aEs": "No. Los viajeros no deberían beber agua del grifo en Bolivia. Compra agua embotellada, usa una botella con filtro o hierve el agua, y ten cuidado con el hielo y los jugos de fruta sin hervir de los puestos de mercado hasta que tu estómago se adapte."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Singani — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singani"
    },
    {
      "title": "Coca tea — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_tea"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bolivia to re-accede to UN drug convention, while making exception on coca leaf chewing — UNODC",
      "url": "https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2013/January/bolivia-to-re-accede-to-un-drug-convention-while-making-exception-on-coca-leaf-chewing.html"
    },
    {
      "title": "Mocochinchi — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mocochinchi"
    },
    {
      "title": "List of Bolivian drinks — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bolivian_drinks"
    },
    {
      "title": "Paceña — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pace%C3%B1a"
    }
  ],
  "primaryKeyword": "bolivian drinks",
  "primaryKeywordEs": "bebidas bolivianas",
  "metaTitle": "Bolivian Drinks: 15 Traditional Drinks to Try",
  "metaDesc": "Bolivian drinks guide: api, mocochinchi, chicha, singani and the chuflay, coca tea and Paceña beer, with what each tastes like and where to order it.",
  "canonical": "https://lovebolivia.com/bolivian-drinks-traditional-guide/",
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    "things-to-do-cochabamba-bolivia"
  ],
  "relatedRoutes": []
}