Along the small towns surrounding Mexico’s largest lake awaits you a blood-red vampire cocktail. If you’ve ever heard of San Luis Soyatlán in the Mexican state of Jalisco, you probably weren’t told, “You absolutely must go to San Luis Soyatlán!” Sure, like all small towns surrounding Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake, San Luis Soyatlán in the city of Jocotopec is charming – a square, a tall white church, mountains visible over the water. It’s a place you might stop to stretch your legs if you’re driving around the lake, an easy day trip from Guadalajara. But your more likely destination would be touristy Mazamitla, the “Jaliscan Alps,” a mountain town dotted with rustic cabins. If San Luis Soyatlán triggers a sound in you, it’s most likely because someone has urged you to go there, but for one reason only: to queue up with hundreds of thirsty Mexican travelers for the town’s signature drink: the Vampirito.
Thanks to Sangrita, a popular Tequila chaser from Jalisco, the drink is blood-red. Hence its name, Vampirito, which means little vampire. Dr. Edgar Martin del Campo, an expert on Mexican vampire folklore, says, “Vampires are fascinating in Mexico because of their roots in indigenous culture, mysterious relics from the darker side of native spirituality.” Mexico has some interesting vampires: there’s Cihuateteo, the dangerous seductress; Chorti, perpetually trapped in the past (his feet are screwed on backward, pointing in the direction he’s walked); and Tlahuelpuchi, the shapeshifter who demands blood every month during her period and is said to be repelled with a garlic enchilada. Some scholars believe Mexican vampire lore originated with the Aztecs, specifically with the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca, the “Smoking Mirror God.” Jalisco is home to a thriving Huichol population, an indigenous group descended from the Aztecs. Thus, it’s fitting that a town in Jalisco is responsible for making the Vampirito so famous.
Vampiritos are available in bars throughout Mexico, but you’ll never see as lively a scene as in San Luis Soyatlán, and the San Luis Soyatlán Vampirito is widely known as the most delicious. Often, several small Vampirito operations set up their stands in San Luis Soyatlán on weekends, but the largest, which has been around for over 15 years, is an assembly line arranged on a few pushed-together folding tables on the roadside. Behind the tables, one person hands you ice in the style of plastic bags you’d get if you won a goldfish. You hold your bag open, and someone else adds orange and lime juice, Sangrita, salt, and Squirt; a third person urges you to choose among four or five tequilas, then snatches the bag from your hand, sticks in a straw, ties up the top, and thrusts the thing at you. Some Vampirito fans like to show off with a tequila bottle to add their own shots (from experience, I can assure you that extra tequila is not necessary). A large Vampirito will cost you 80 pesos, about $4.65 USD. Once you’ve handed over your money, you can take your bulging bag and enjoy your salty, spicy cocktail in the sunshine. Or you can hop back into your car (of course, in the passenger seat) and continue your drive to Mazamitla. Or you can head in the other direction, to the quirky hippie town of Ajijic and dine at La Mesa, the new restaurant with outdoor seating, fire pits, contemporary local art on the walls, and the best ceviche in the area. Or you can immerse yourself in Mexico’s rich folkloric tradition: you’re not a tourist drinking a Vampirito; you’re a vampire savoring the blood of your victim.
Once you’ve finished drinking your Vampirito, you’ll quickly be reminded by your very human limitations that you’re not a vampire. But you’ll return to San Luis Soyatlán sooner rather than later because like a vampire getting its first taste of blood, you’ll be dreaming of Vampiritos.
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