Chef’s Favorite Concoction and Spirits 🍸
As Chef I’m tasked with writing the menus defined by the concepts for Slate & Sap: Maya Inspired Conscious Cuisine where bean, corn and squash is at the center of the plate. The next assignment was then to redefine and write the drink menu for the then newly re-branded Rum Bar. Like any good AI prompt, I had specific instructions, parameters and cues that I created to guide me in populating the recipe bible and concoctions. Naturally, the keywords would be Maya, Indigenous, local and to include folkloric myths, barks, fermentations and spirits from Belize and the immediate surrounding. Naturally Chat GPT would fumble and regurgitate a bunch of nothing as this request is uncharted waters, even for artificial intelligence!
Chechem Chakah
The next day I visited Caracol for inspiration. On the way back I went to Xibalba at the Rio Frio Cave. I pushed the SUV as far as I could without getting stuck in thick mud and potholes with my niece Macyann on my back and a then 3 year old Archer struggling to keep up. At the end of humid and sticky trek, we finally saw signs of human presence. Macy exclaimed, ‘we must be getting close Tio!’ There were signage and labels identifying poisonous trees and Maya folklore such as the Chechem (poison wood) and the Chakah (antidode). There we read the story of the Hero Twins as depicted in the Popol Vu. That evening, still spiritually in awe from the cave and re-tracing the steps of the Maya at Caracol, I headed to the bar’s laboratory and the drink was born.
The Narrative:
Wherever a Chechém tree is sprouted, a Chakah will keep him company…
In the mystical jungle the Chiquibul, the legend of two Maya warrior princes is told. These two princes were brothers; Kinich and Tizic. Both had the same blood but were very different from each other.
The younger brother was Kinich, a gentle and kind young man (just like the Chef 😉) and Tizic, on the other hand, was the opposite of his brother; he was cold-hearted, ruthless, and arrogant.
Similar to the Chef’s downfall, a gorgeous long haired girl named Nicté-Ha appeared. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with a pure heart and a gentle soul. She naturally conquered the hearts of both princes.
The Battle of Love
The brothers, realizing that they were both in love with the beautiful Nicté-Ha, decided to do battle to win her love. The gods were so angry that they covered the sky with dark clouds, and the moon was hidden during the entire battle.
This fight for love had a tragic outcome, both brothers died. It was truly a battle to the death, but neither could win the love of Nicté-Ha. They were so in love with this woman that when they arrived in the other world they asked the gods to see Nicté-Ha one last time.
The gods agreed and returned the brothers to Earth in the form of trees.
Tizic returned to earth in the form of a poisonous tree; the Chechém. With branches and leaves that burn the skin if you touch it or are near it. Also known as the tourist tree
Kinich was reborn as the Chakah, a tree that cures all the toxic poison left by the Chechem
Nicté-Há, heartbroken, later died of sadness after seeing the tragedy of the brothers. But when she arrived in the other world, the gods allowed her to be reborn in a beautiful white flower that is located near the water.
Today, if you find a Chechem tree, you can be sure that there will also be a Chakah tree nearby that will cure all the evil that Tizic caused. Ask your tour guide to spot them!
Chechem/Chakah
3 Finger’s Gin 2 ounces
Bittaz 2 dash
Lime Juice ½ ounce
Anise Liquor ¼ ounce
Basil Syrup 2 splash
Garnish dehydrated lime and basil leaf
On the palate, the bitter taste of the bittaz bark represents the poison of the Chechem Tree while the the herbaceous juniper and coriander-forward flavor notes of the gin along with licorice and pungent taste of the anise liquor represents the Chakah, The antidote to the evil twin’s curse
Drink at your own risk
Cheers!
Chef Sean Kuylen
