There is a scene that repeats itself every so often in the popular neighborhoods of Bogotá: a metal cart, a white bucket covered with a cloth, a hand-written sign, and a sweet smell floating in the cold morning air. It's chicha. The same drink that centuries ago accompanied the mingas, the harvests, and the celebrations of the Muiscas, and that today reappears —now with more pride than shame— in chicherías, gastro bars, and signature cocktail menus.
For decades, chicha carried a terrible stigma. It was associated with poverty, with disorder, with the "brutalization" of the peasant who arrived in the city. Today, in September 2026, the story is different: chicha is a symbol of identity, of Indigenous memory, and of a Colombian cocktail culture that no longer fears its roots. This is the route to understand it, taste it, and toast with it.
📌 Transparency
This article contains sponsored/affiliate links. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Spanish Bootcamp Online
Origins: the mother drink of the Muiscas
Before Bogotá existed, there was Bacatá, the great Muisca center of the Cundiboyacense highlands. And in Bacatá, chicha was much more than a drink: it was food, medicine, offering, and social currency. It was prepared with corn —especially yellow corn, ground and cooked—, sweetened with panela, and fermented in clay vessels for several days. The result was a thick drink, slightly acidic, with a low but steady alcohol content.
The Muiscas didn't drink it the way we drink a beer. They drank it in ritual contexts: in planting and harvest ceremonies, at weddings, at funerals, at sun festivals. There was even a hierarchy of chichas: the mildest for children and the elderly, the most fermented for big celebrations. In some Spanish chronicles it is mentioned that the caciques drank from gold vessels and that chicha was offered to the gods by pouring it on the earth.
When the conquistadors arrived, chicha was already an institution. And although the Spanish tried to replace it with wine and aguardiente, they didn't succeed: the drink remained alive in the chicherías, those spaces where commerce, music, and politics mixed. In fact, many of the popular uprisings of the 19th and early 20th centuries were hatched in chicherías. That explains why the governments of the time persecuted them so fiercely.
The stigma and the prohibition
In 1948, after the Bogotazo, the government of Mariano Ospina Pérez hardened measures against chicha. It was said that the drink was unhealthy, that it encouraged violence, and that it kept workers in misery. Its sale was prohibited in many establishments, chicherías were closed, and industrial beer was promoted as the "modern" and "civilized" drink. It was a devastating blow: chicha went from being the drink of the people to being a secret consumed in hiding.
But it didn't die. It survived in the peripheral neighborhoods, in the markets, in the villages of Usme and Ciudad Bolívar, in the hands of families who continued fermenting corn in their patios. That is the thread that is being recovered today.
Timeline: milestones of chicha in Bogotá
- 10th–16th centuries: Chicha is a central part of Muisca life in Bacatá. It is fermented in clay vessels and consumed in rituals and mingas.
- 1538: Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada founds Santafé de Bogotá. Chicha continues to circulate, now also among Spaniards and mestizos.
- 19th century: Chicherías multiply in the center. They are popular, noisy, and politically active spaces.
- 1948: After the Bogotazo, state persecution against chicha intensifies. Many chicherías close.
- 1950s–1980s: Chicha survives in the periphery and in nearby municipalities such as Soacha and Chía. Beer dominates the market.
- 2000s: Cultural collectives and cooks begin to reclaim chicha as heritage. Fairs and festivals appear.
- 2010s: Chicha enters signature cocktail culture. Bars in La Macarena and Chapinero Alto begin experimenting with ferments.
- 2020–2026: Chicha consolidates as a symbol of Bogotá identity. There are tourist routes, workshops, and a growing artisanal scene.
Key figures and events
The chicheras: guardians of the recipe
If there is a central figure in this story, it is the chichera. Women who for generations have fermented corn in their kitchens, who know the exact point of acidity, who know when the drink is ready and when it needs one more day. In neighborhoods like Usme, Ciudad Bolívar, and Fontibón, there are still families that sell chicha from house to house, in recycled bottles, without a label or health registration. They are the living memory of the trade.
Many of them have been made invisible by official history, but their work is the basis of everything we now call "artisanal chicha." Without them, the drink would have become extinct.
The cultural resurgence of the 2000s
In the 2000s, collectives such as the Festival de la Chicha in Bogotá and cultural groups from La Candelaria began organizing events to reclaim the drink. Fairs were held in plazas, concerts, workshops. Chicha stopped being a source of shame and became a banner. That movement coincided with a broader interest in traditional Colombian cuisine: corn, panela, ají, ferments.
Chicha in signature cocktail culture
The leap to cocktail culture was a natural step. Bogotá bartenders began using chicha as a base for cocktails, mixing it with aguardiente, lemon, aromatic herbs, and local fruits. Today there are versions of michelada with chicha, chicha mojitos, and even negronis with corn ferment. Chicha stopped being just a drink to have on its own.
Current state: where to drink chicha in Bogotá today
The chicha route in Bogotá is not a single place, but a constellation of spaces ranging from the traditional chichería to the signature gastro bar. Here is a possible itinerary, with real names and practical details.
Traditional chicherías in La Candelaria
La Candelaria remains the historic heart of the city, and although many old chicherías have disappeared, some remain that keep the tradition alive. In the area of calle 12 with carrera 2 and its surroundings there are small, unpretentious establishments where chicha is sold in plastic cups or totumas. The price is low —a cup can cost between $3,000 and $6,000 COP, reference prices as of September 2026— and the atmosphere is popular, noisy, and authentic.
It is recommended to verify opening hours before visiting, because many of these places open only in the afternoon and close early. Don't expect a menu or table service: here you come to drink chicha, not to have dinner.
The artisanal rebirth: La Macarena and Chapinero Alto
In recent years, chicha found a new home in the neighborhoods of La Macarena and Chapinero Alto, where it coexists with specialty coffee shops, artisanal bakeries, and signature restaurants. There, spaces appeared that reinterpret the drink with higher quality standards: pasteurized chicha, controlled fermentations, innovative flavors (chicha de arracacha, pineapple, yuca, rice).
One of the benchmarks is La Chichería, at carrera 4 # 26-45, a space that combines the tradition of the drink with a contemporary proposal. Mercado de la Chicha is also making waves, a project that brings together local producers and offers tastings. It is recommended to verify availability and hours directly with each establishment, because the scene is dynamic and venues change address or hours frequently.
Another name that appears on the official Visit Bogotá route is Chichería Demente, at calle 69 # 15-08, a space that mixes chicha with cocktails and urban gastronomy. And in Chapinero, Testigo (Carrera 9a # 10-31) defines itself as a gastro bar that pays homage to chicha through artisanal preparations and signature cocktails. These are places where the drink is enjoyed calmly, with ice, with accompaniments, and where the price is higher: a cocktail with chicha can cost between $25,000 and $40,000 COP, reference prices as of September 2026.
Ferments beyond chicha: masato, champús, and guarapo
Chicha is not alone. On the same route appear other fermented drinks that also have ancestral roots: masato (from rice or corn, sweeter and thicker), champús (with corn, panela, lulo, and cinnamon, typical of the Valle del Cauca), guarapo (from sugarcane), and ñeque (from toasted and ground corn). Each has its own history, its own fermentation time, and its own territory.
In Bogotá, these ferments are found in markets such as Paloquemao and in peasant fairs in Usaquén and Fontibón. Also in some specialty cafés that have begun to include them on their menus, especially in cold versions with fruit.
Guided experiences and workshops
For those who want to go beyond tasting, there are chicha-making workshops in cultural spaces in La Candelaria and in villages near Bogotá, such as those in Usme and Sumapaz. These workshops usually include a visit to a local producer, an explanation of the fermentation process, and a final tasting. Availability varies by season, so it is recommended to confirm in advance through the city's tourism pages or cultural collectives.
There are also guided tours along the Ruta de la Chicha, which pass through several establishments and explain the historical context of each stop. These tours usually last between two and three hours and have a cost that varies by operator.
Contemporary pairing: chicha at the signature table
High-end Bogotá restaurants have begun incorporating chicha and masato into their menus, not only as a drink but as an ingredient. There are desserts with chicha reduction, sauces with masato, chicha and panela ice cream. Chefs such as those at El Chato or Criterión have explored these flavors in seasonal menus, although menus change constantly, so it is recommended to verify the current offering directly with each restaurant.
The logic is interesting: chicha provides acidity, sweetness, and a fermented base that works very well with pork, fresh cheeses, and tropical fruits. It is no coincidence that it has appeared on signature cocktail menus throughout the city.
A little-known fact
For centuries, chicha was a safer drink than water. In colonial Bogotá, the water from canals and ditches was contaminated, and the fermentation of chicha eliminated a good part of the bacteria. That is why many families drank it daily, even children, in very mild versions. It was not just a festive drink: it was a survival strategy.
Toast to memory
Chicha is not a trend. It is a drink that has been in the highlands for centuries, that survived persecution, stigma, and oblivion, and that today is reclaiming its place at the Bogotá table. You don't need to be an expert to enjoy it: just go to a chichería, ask for a cup, and drink it without haste.
If you are in Bogotá, look for an authentic chichería —in La Candelaria, in Usme, in Fontibón, wherever—, ask for a "pola" of chicha and discover
