In our country we have a great variety in spirits each having an incredible history, the raw material they use is one or several varieties of agave and there are also others that use sugarcane, corn and / or wheat. Most have a designation of origin and its growth at national and international level is increasing.
Next, we will talk about these spirits and some of their main characteristics.
Tequila:
The leading point in terms of sales is undoubtedly tequila, this drink is based on the blue variety weber tequilana agave and its process consists of fermenting and distilling the juices obtained after cooking the plant. It is classified in white, young, rested, aged and lately extra aged this will depend on the time that it lasts inside the barrel.
It has a designation of origin and the producing states are all Jalisco and part of Nayarit, Michoacán and Tamaulipas, of the Mexican spirits, this is the one with the most industrialized processes.
Mezcal:
In the last seven years, the exportion of mezcal has increased three times and continues to rise, the raw material of this drink is different varieties of agave giving each type of mezcal which allows the norm are agave angustifolia (maguey sprat), agave esperrima (maguey de cerro or maguey gross or maguey ash), agave weberi (maguey de mezcal), agave potatorum (maguey de mezcal) and Agave salmiana.
Although many would believe that mezcal can only be done in Oaxaca. The designation of origin allows them to be Oaxaca, Morelos, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Durango, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas. The manufacturing process involves cooking the mezcal pineapples, extracting the juices, fermenting them and then distilling. We can still find many artisan producers.
Sotol:
This drink is originally from northern Mexico and has a designation of origin since 2002 the states that can produce it are Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila. It is known by the rarámuris as sereque, also called the plant that is used for its production. This plant is from the asparagus family and its name is dasylirion although it is commonly known as sotol as well.
Unlike agave, which flowers only once in its lifetime, sotols produce a flower stalk every few years. Once the plant matures, it is harvested like agave plants when mezcal or tequila are to be made. The outer leaves are removed to reveal the center core, which is taken back to the distillery. The core can then be cooked and/or steamed, shredded, fermented, and distilled. The alcoholic graduation is between 35º and 55º. The main countries that consume it are China, Canada, England, Sweden, Spain, Russia, the United States, Chile and Czechoslovakia.
Bacanora:
This drink is originally from Bacanora, Sonora and has a designation of origin since 1994 it can only be produced in the state of Sonora it’s one of the few exclusive spirits of a state, as many other distillated beverages it was considered illegal a good period of time.
Its manufacturing process is very similar to that of other distillated spirits and we still find mostly handmade production. Its raw material is the agave angustifolia, usually the alcoholic graduations range from 38º to 55º.
Raicilla
This spirit is obtained from agaves of different varieties among the most used are agave maximiliana Baker, agave inaequidens koch, agave Valenciana, agave angustifolia , and agave rhodacantha and is produced in different towns of Jalisco the main ones are Mascota, San Sebastián del Oeste, Atenguillo and Mixtlan they were recently give a designation of origin.
According to the region and the type of agave there is the coast raicilla and a highland raicilla, the production process is handmade.
Charanda:
This drink, originally from the state of Michoacán, has had a designation of origin since 2003 and, unlike the previous ones, it uses sugar cane as a raw material giving a process very similar to rum, its alcohol content usually ranges from 50º to 55º.
The first charanda distillery was built in Uruapan Michoacán at the foot of the hill that receives the same name as the drink, this name is from the Purépecha language and means red earth.
Pox (Posh):
This spirit uses corn, wheat and sugarcane as raw materials, it is produced in Chiapas and the main producer is the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, it is of Mayan origin, its initial uses were medicinal and for religious ceremonies, it is still used in this type of celebrations.
The production is mainly homemade.
Tuxca:
It is a distillated beverage that is produced in the state of Colima and its borders with Jalisco, it does not have a specific agave type. The process also consists of cooking the agave pineapples, extracting the juices, fermenting them and finally the distillation process. It still does not have a designation of origin.
The place where it is produced is called a tavern, instead of using a still to distill like most spirits a Filipino distillation device is used, it is said that this design was copied from the Filipinos who arrived in the area and began to make coconut alcohol, this distiller is made of a parota trunk and inside it has a copper pot.
Now you know when you a little bit more about these Mexican distilled beverages, we encourage you to try them the next time you visit one of these states or regions.
Made by Barriles la Arboleda
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