You Can Tour Latin America Through Spirits and Dishes at La Licor Panamericana

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When Abraham Ramirez and Javier Arroyo opened La Licor Panamericana in 2024, they named their Logan Square bar for the Pan-American Highway, which spans 19,000 miles and 14 countries from Alaska to Argentina.

Ramirez was born and raised in Mexico, but worked in hospitality in Peru and Argentina. “I didn’t think it was necessary to bring a Mexican-only concept to [Chicago], that already has a lot of Mexican culture to offer,” he says. He and Arroyo decided to spotlight all of Latin America instead. 

They showcase a collection of 365 spirits and seven beers from all over Central and South America, including Peruvian brandy and Mexican whiskey, many of which cannot be found elsewhere in Chicago in stores or behind bars. Every spirit and beer they serve comes from Latin America.

“We have worked with importers to have our own versions of things,” says Ramirez. “There is a popular craft beer made in Guadalajara, where I’m from, called Fortuna, and we are the only ones carrying it in the States. They created a special version for our anniversary.”

La Licor’s cocktail menu, like many in town,  offers both original and classic drinks. But these are Latin American classics, from eight different countries, and the signature cocktails are crafted from their lengthy spirit list.

While sitting at the spacious, three-sided bar that fills the front half of the room, look up: You’ll see a loft space filled with carboys and glass jugs containing macerations, and rows of wooden barrels along the south wall. Ramirez found that some essential spirits, like Licor 43, the Spanish liqueur that’s a key ingredient in the popular carajillo cocktail, just weren’t available from Latin America, but he refused to compromise on his pledge to serve only Latin American spirits. So he makes them. La Licor’s version of Licor 43 infuses vanilla beans and spices into Mexican vodka up on that balcony. 

The herbal digestifs known as amari are also hard to source from Latin America. Ramirez notes that there are several versions of the bitter liquor from Brazil and elsewhere, but they are very expensive, “So we ended up making our own amaro too.”

Both the house amaro and the vanilla liqueur, plus cold brew that they make with coffee from Magnifico, a local roaster with Colombian roots, landed in a carajillo riff called Por La Tarde (“For the Afternoon”), a caffeine-charged refresher with Planteray Xaymaca Special rum.

The food menu, too, is pan-Latin, with dishes from all over: Pao de queijo from Brazil, chicken chapin from Guatemala, a Mexican-inspired burger topped with machaca ragu, a sauce made from traditional dried beef from northern Mexico.

Last August, the owners debuted a now annual seven-day festival to celebrate their second anniversary in business, inviting 15 bartender teams to join in the revelry. Friends from Latin spots like nearby Culebra, up California Avenue, and the renowned Eximia in São Paolo, Brazil mixed up their own cocktails for Chicagoans to try. La Licor also partnered with local restaurants to provide food when their chef, Carlos Cantatore and his wife Gabi Guidara, were detained by ICE in New Jersey. (At press time, Cantatore is still in detention, while Guidara has returned to her native Argentina.)

I attended several classes during this year’s festival, and was excited to see people from the neighborhood among the participants, along with bartenders and service workers from dozens of local restaurants. Educating customers is important to La Licor, and they offer free seminars two to three times a month around topics like spirits and hospitality.

 “There are a lot of people that don't come to specialty bars because they don't want to feel stupid,  and they're just too shy to ask questions,” explains Ramirez. Their clientele come from everywhere, he says. “Some people know something about the cultures, some people don't have a clue but it seems interesting, and some people are not aware that it is a Latin American bar but saw it on Instagram.” 

The night I visited La Licor Fest, the room was packed with folks who had bought tickets to try original cocktails made by guest bartenders Jose Luis Leon from Mexico City’s Licoreria Limantour and Frida Lucia from Aruba Day Drink Bar in Tijuana. In the back, chefs from La Licor’s neighbors Jinsei Motto broke down a 190-pound bluefin tuna and made tostadas de crudo to feed the crowd.

“We are a neighborhood bar, a 'bar de barrio,’” that welcomes everyone in the community, says Ramirez. “Especially in these days,” he adds, referring to immigration enforcement operations that have targeted Latino neighborhoods and Spanish speakers. “Apparently being Latino is a crime. So now it is important for us to maintain that concept of being only Latino, and showcasing Latino ingredients.”