If Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, Guaraná Antarctica is its national soft drink. This lightly carbonated, amber-golden soda with a distinctive fruity-sweet flavor is consumed at an astonishing rate across Brazil — outselling Coca-Cola in much of the country.
What is Guaraná?
Guaraná (Paullinia cupana) is a climbing plant native to the Amazon Basin. Its seeds contain nearly twice the caffeine of coffee beans, along with theobromine (the same mild stimulant found in chocolate) and a complex array of tannins. Indigenous Amazonian communities — particularly the Sateré-Mawé people, who consider guaraná sacred — have used the seeds for centuries as a stimulant, medicine, and food.
The Flavor of Guaraná Soda
Guaraná Antarctica has a flavor that is genuinely difficult to compare to anything else: lightly sweet, slightly fruity (some detect apple or pear notes), pleasantly bitter in the finish, and refreshingly effervescent. It has a lighter, less cloying sweetness than most colas.
Guaraná in Brazilian Cuisine
- Energy drinks — Brazilian-made guaraná energy drinks
- Açaí — guaraná syrup (xarope de guaraná) is commonly added to açaí blends for sweetness and a caffeine boost
- Cocktails — mixed with vodka or cachaça as a mixer