Just opened last February, Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas is Costa Rica’s newest boutique hotel. With 21 villas perched high atop a cliff with private plunge pools and panoramic views from every angle, guests can relax at an infinity pool where drinks are delivered via floating trays or take a mixology class to learn how to craft signature Costa Rican cocktails.
Casa Chameleon’s head mixologist, Aleeza Bender is using indigenous ingredients and creating her own tropical cocktails featuring guaro in several of them. The menu also takes classic cocktails and tweaks them incorporating unique local fruits like sour guava, tamarind, limon dulce (a sweet lemon), tangerine-lime and mandarin-lime as well as tapa de dulce (an old school style sugar that is barely processed and is produced only by a handful of smaller mills in the area).
It’s hard to beat the sunset views at the open-air cliffside bar. Sink into a plush white sofa and take in the scenic beaches, nearby islands and lush hills. Or hit the beachside bar and restaurant at Limonada, just down the hill in the charming new town of Las Catalinas. Dig your feet into the sand and let a spicy margarita hit the spot. Beverage aficionado Juliana Gill infuses the tequila with jalapenos, allowing it to absorb the spice for a couple of hours before removing the peppers to pour the final drink. Or, try the margaritas which are also infused but with local exotic fruits. Other out of the box options include a Sabanero, a filling local Costa Rican beverage made with rice water and flavored fruits or the Morena Mia, a sweet cocktail combining the Costa Rican liqueur Cacique and tapa de dulce.
Try your hand at mixing these temptations when you’re back. You can pick-up the local ingredients while you’re there then stage a little Instagram viewing party with your friends to get them excited to join you in your return visit.
Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas
From Soccer field in Potrero 4 Km North
Guanacaste Province
Las Catalinas, 50304, Costa Rica
+506 2103 1200
www.casachameleonhotels.com
Costa Rican Cocktails
Colada Fresca
The Colada Fresca is an original recipe that uses local Costa Rican liquor guaro, coconut water, juiced lime, and spiced local honey muddled with pineapple and mint.
6 mint leaves
60 grams of cut pineapple
¾ oz. Mandarin lime juice (regular lime is a fine substitute)
3/4 oz. spiced honey syrup*
1 oz. fresh coconut water
2 oz. Cacique guaro
Preparation: Muddle mint and pineapple in a shaker, then add the rest of the ingredients and shake with ice. Double strain contents into a rocks glass with ice and garnish with a slice of pineapple and a mint leaf.
*Spiced Honey Syrup
2 cups water
1.5 cups raw honey
2 star anise
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
Zest of 1/2 lime
5 black peppercorns
Preparation: Bring all ingredients to a boil then lower and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and cool.
Tico Old Fashioned
Aleeza Bender’s take on a classic uses the local burnt-sugar tapa de dulce, a Costa Rican aged rum (Centenario 5 year) and orange bitters
1 bar spoon of tapa de dulce syrup**
1 dash of orange Angostura bitters
2 oz. Centenario 5-year rum
Preparation: Build drink by adding ingredients to a rocks glass then add ice. Stir to combine and chill. Garnish with both an orange and a lime twist.
**Whole unrefined cane sugar is known by many names around the world: jaggery in India, raspadura in Cuba, uluru dust in Australia, and tapa de dulce in Costa Rica. It’s often sold in a shape particular to a country. In Costa Rica, “tapa” refers to the shape of lid. Casa Chameleon makes its syrup by dissolving 1 tapa de dulce (625grams) in 3 cups boiling water.
Morena Mia
1 ½ oz. tapa de dulce and cinnamon
1 ½ oz. Cacique
1 ½ oz. lime juice
Shake all ingredients and serve
