How La Licor Panamericana Takes Diners Down the Panamerican Highway
Many restaurants want to take their customers on a journey through food. But few aim to take guests on a transcontinental road trip, crossing through nearly a dozen different countries along the way. But then, most restaurants aren’t La Licor Panamericana, which opened last fall in Logan Square, and aims to showcase the foods and spirits of much of Latin America.
Co-owners Abraham Ramirez and Javier Arroyo, who both hail from Mexico, spotted a gap in Chicago’s Latin American food scene. They wanted to show guests that there’s more to Latin drinking culture than just Tequila and mezcal, and plenty of food to go with it, too.
You could almost miss the restaurant, nestled on a street lined with walk-up apartments, but inside it’s a whole different story. The decor stays true to the spirit of adventure; the room is filled with vibrant colors, terracotta walls, and souvenirs from Ramirez’s travels (he has also lived in Peru in Argentina). For the most part, dishes are served family style so everyone at the table can share in the experience.
While executive chef Juan Jiminez has worked at popular spots like Roister, S.K.Y., and The Chicago Club, the Mexican chef also began his own journey of expanding his knowledge of Latin American foods with this job. “I always wanted to learn, and I think Latin America has such a vast cuisine. I have seen a few glimpses in different kitchens that I’ve been in, but it was always a fusion,” he says. “So, for me, it was a challenge learning about other countries and their ingredients—even though they are similar to each other, they’re all completely different in their own way.”
We sat down with Jiminez and Ramirez to get a tour of the menu and the cultural inspirations behind each dish.
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Bandeja Paisa
“The Bandeja Paisa is a Colombian staple; they eat it for breakfast and dinner. It’s like a little platter of everything, with rice and beans, chicharron, which we make in-house, arepa, avocado, thinly sliced beef loin, and Colombian chorizo,” says Jiminez. “The loin is grilled, and so is the arepa—we put a little bit of butter in it, and get some really nice grill marks on it. The chorizo is grilled too, and we also do a little bit of fried plantain.”
“The chicharron is made with pork belly; cooked in three different stages. First, it’s boiled with green onion and garlic, then it’s cooked with pork lard to a nice caramel color, and finally, it goes into a really hot pork lard so the skin can puff up. The Bandeja Paisa is supposed to be hearty. Rice and beans is something that you eat every day in Latin cuisine, so you have a little bit of protein, something crunchy (the chicharron), a little bit of smokiness in there from the grill, and the arepa, which is another (Colombian) classic.”
Clericó Platense
Clericó is a white wine punch or cocktail similar to sangria, popular in both Argentina and neighboring Uruguay. “The clericó is a mix of fruit, citrus stock, rosé wine, and Triple Sec, which is pretty straightforward, but it’s really refreshing and we have it on draft. It’s very citrusy and bubbly because we add nitrogen in the draft,” says Ramirez.
“To make it a little fancier we serve it in [the penguin mug] with two glasses, so you can pour it yourself,” he adds. In Argentina, at the southernmost tip of the country, there’s a city called Ushuaia, which is known as “el fin del mundo,” or the end of the world. Penguins, explains Ramirez, are a common sight there. Nodding to its cross-cultural appeal, he adds, “the recipe is Uruguayan but the presentation is Argentinian.”
The 4 a.m. Burger
“The 4 a.m. Burger was inspired by the street vendors across the whole of Latin America,” says Jiminez. “After you’ve had a few drinks, everything’s closed, and the only thing that you can find is going to be a little vendor selling burgers or hot dogs. When I’m cooking, I like to present a little bit of myself, and this burger is one of my favorite memories,” he adds.
“We use an 80% lean and 20% fat blend for the patty, which gives it a nice taste without being greasy. It’s seasoned with fresh parsley, cilantro, eggs, panko, and a blend of spices. We also use a housemade dressing that contains mayo, cornichons, green onion, capers, red wine vinegar, ketchup, Dijon, and spices,” he says. Each order comes with two grilled patties, bound with Oaxacan cheese and topped with chistorra, a quick-cured pork sausage that originally hails from Spain but is eaten in parts of Mexico as a result of historical Spanish influences. It’s all nestled into a brioche bun from Franher Bakery in McKinley Park. “The whole burger is like a little piece of heaven after a long night,” Jiminez says.
Pisco Sour
The Pisco sour is the national cocktail of both Peru and Chile. The drink is traditionally made in a shaker with egg white, lime juice, simple syrup, bitters, ice, and Pisco, a type of brandy. “This Pisco Sour is a little different,” says Ramirez. “We use matcha powder, raspberry powder, and turmeric powder to simulate the rainbow mountain in Peru. That’s the inspiration for the presentation and we want it to have that vibe.”
“It’s still a classic recipe, but we don’t use any egg white, and instead of shaking it we swizzle [in a blender] it so it gets foamy. It’s got a mix of sweet and sour flavors because we use a goldenberry syrup in it. It’s like a digestif; usually in Peru they’re not drinking or ordering Pisco sours in the club,” Ramirez laughs.
Bonus: Nicuatole
Traditional nicuatole is a gelatinous Oaxacan dessert made with ground maize and sugar, flavored with seasonal fruit and/or spices. At La Licor, Jimenez serves it as a jelly, with homemade chocolate ice cream and corn foam. “The foam is made with egg yolks, milk, and gelatin; first I grind the corn, then heat up the milk with the corn. I make a custard with the egg yolks and let it cool, and then I just use the siphon [to aerate it],” he explains.
“I like to present something that is completely different from traditional recipes but at the same time still familiar,” he says. “I want to make [the food] more approachable to customers. The most important thing is that guests come in here and get good food and good drinks, so they can step into a different environment.”
