How Colombia’s Refajo, a Beer-and-Soda Shandy, Turned Into a Verb

On a hot afternoon outside Medellín, a friend reached for my hand and asked, “¿Refajémonos?” I had no idea what he meant. It turned out he was asking if I wanted a Refajo, one of Colombia’s most beloved drinks.

The Refajo is a shandy: ice-cold light beer mixed with soda. It is so simple that it barely counts as a cocktail. Yet over the past few decades, it has become so common in Colombia that the word has turned into a verb, like Google.

The Drink That Became a Verb

“Refajo has been popular in Colombia for at least the past 30 or 40 years,” says Luis R. Vidal, an anthropologist at the Colegio Mayor de Antioquia in Medellín who studies food, drinks and culture.

It works as a hangover cure, a way to stretch a beer supply, and a cooling drink for a hot day. “But more than anything, Refajo is a social drink at its core, one that we associate with large gatherings, celebrations, and spending time together,” Vidal says.

The Classic Recipe

The standard recipe is equal parts light beer and Colombiana, a very sweet soda that tastes like citrus and bubblegum. North Americans often compare it to cream soda. South Americans might know the similar Inca Kola.

Regional versions exist. On Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the Refajo is often made with Kola Román, a local favorite.

Why It Works

The simplicity of the Refajo is its strength. Home bartenders can riff on it endlessly.

Add a splash of orange juice. Throw in slices of fruit. Add a dash of aguardiente for a kick. Adjust the beer-to-soda ratio to control the sweetness.

Beyond the Backyard

The Refajo is not just for barbecues. Many Colombian restaurants sell it by the pitcher, serving it alongside heavy dishes: cazuelas bubbling with beans, savory stews, and long strips of fried pork belly.

It has also moved into cans. Sold as Cola y Pola — using pola, slang for beer — the Refajo was an early entry into Colombia’s small but growing ready-to-drink cocktail market. It is wildly popular, so much so that it is harder to find a convenience store that does not carry it.

The Cocktail Bar Push

Colombia’s bar scene is blossoming, with more attention on technique. The Refajo’s simplicity sets it apart.

“There has been a really exciting push from Colombian bartenders towards returning to our traditional spirits, like viche from centuries of Afro-Colombian tradition along the Pacific Coast,” says Maycoll Tobón, bar director at Bar Carmen in Medellín.

Tobón’s Take

“There is so much value in the way that the Refajo gathers people.”

“But I think there’s more that can be done with these classic drinks like Refajo too, which are also an important part of our drinking culture that is worth preserving,” Tobón says.

Tobón created several takes on the classic Refajo using only Colombian ingredients. These accompany the tasting menu at Carmen, which made the World’s 50 Best Bars list for the first time last year.

An Elevated Version

No saccharine sodas here. Instead, Tobón uses local and artisanal beers paired with lesser-known tropical fruits like passion fruit, gulupa and granadilla.

Elevating the Refajo to an art form will not suit every home bartender. As cocktail culture in Colombia moves fast, Tobón sees value in keeping even the simplest classics on the menu.

Keeping It Simple

“It is a part of Colombian culture that unifies people across all social strata, and that is something worth holding on to,” he says.

The Refajo may be simple. That is exactly the point.

Source: punchdrink.com

beer cocktails · cocktail culture · Colombia · Refajo · shandy