pechuga
Pechuga is an old Mezcal technique wich varies from producer to producer and is most of the time only produced in tiny amounts for personal consumption. It is made by redistilling a finished mezcal with a mix of wild, seasonal fruits, often grains and always a raw, skinless chicken breast. As the chicken breast is suspended in the distillation process, the steam cooks through the chicken. I is said that the chicken’s fat and proteins help soften the smokyness mezcal. The addition of wild fruit helps, too :-)
raicilla
Illustrations Ana Briceno, all rights reserved.
how is it made ?
For making Raicilla, the hearts of the agave are cooked in above ground ovens so it is not as smoky as Mezcal.
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Raicilla, like Tequila comes from Jalisco and more particularly from 7 cities of the area of Puerto Vallarta, by the Pacific Coast. Raicilla is made where Tequila is made BUT Raicilla is not made from the Blue Weber agave, so it cannot be called Tequila.
Raicilla is made from the agave pata de mula (Agave maximiliana) & the agave lechuguilla (Agave inaequidens). Contrary to Bacanora, Raicilla does not have a DO however the Mexican Council of Raicilla Promoters was founded late 1990s. Read this ARTICLE to go a bit further.
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bacanora
Bacanora is a Mezcal that can only be made in the state Sonora (north west of Mexico). It is a DO.
Bacanora is named after a town in Sonora (just like Tequila is named after a town in Jalisco). It is distilled from the fermented juice of an agave named Yaquiana (A. angustofolia). Bacanora has its own D.O. since November 2000 and can be named as such only if it contains 100% of this wild agave (compared to Tequila, a Mezcal that only require 51% of Blue Agave). Bacanora is regulated by a Consejo Sonorense Regulador del Bacanora. If you understand spanish, a cool film about Bacanora to watch on You Tube: HERE
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how is it made ?
The making process is the one of mezcal.
how does it taste ?The appearance is crystal clear, and taste wise it presents delicate vegetal aromas, it has a subtle smokiness and an almost liqueur-like sweetness.
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sotolSotol was said to be a Mezcal for a long time but as it is produced solely from the Sotol plant (a.k.a. Dasylirion wheeleri) which is now classified as a member of the Nolinaceae family, Sotol is NOT made from an agave, therefore, not technically a mezcal.
However it has been in this category for so long, that we leave it that way here.... So Sotol is made from desert spoon, a plant similar to agave that grows in the northern Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. And it can only be produced in the Northern Mexican States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango It grows at higher and therefore cooler altitudes than Mezcal and Tequila. It reaches maturity at around 10/15 years but pinas are 1/3 of the size of the blue agave. Sotol is made from 100% Sotol, no mixto are produced. Some Sotol are aged in barrel, under the same categories than Mezcal and Tequila (blanco, reposado, etc). Sotol has a Mexican denomination of origin since 2004. |
how is it made ?
A sotol plant takes 15 years to mature. It generally takes one plant to produce one bottle of sotol (compared to tequila or mezcal where one plant can produce 5-10 bottles, though there are exceptions)
Like Raicilla, the pinas are cooked in above ground ovens and distilled in column stills, so it does not have the smokiness of mezcals. how does it taste ?
Tastewise Sotol is drier and earthier than Mezcal. At 38 percent alcohol, it is milder than tequila and mezcal, with a toasty, nutty aroma and a flavor of licorice and chamomile.
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pulquePulque is a very ancient drink from Mexico. It is fermented and not distilled.
It has low ABV (as much alcohol as in beer). It is made from specific types of Pulque Agave (Agave Salmania, Agave Americana, Agave Weberi, Agave Compicate, Agave Gracilipes, Agave Melliflua, Agave Crassispina, Agave Atrovirens, Agave Ferox, agave Mapisaga, Agave Hookeri). 
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how is it made ?
Pulque is made from cutting the leaf of the agave, and letting a sappy juice (aguamiel) to leak out and gathering into open wood barrel for fermentation.
how does it taste ?
Pulque is always served very fresh. After one day, as yeasts and bacteria in the pulque are still active, taste changes strongly (and not good anymore). Pulque, when fresh, is full of nutrients (vitamin B, C, iron, etc). That is why Pulque in can must be AVOIDED. Pulque has a sour taste, slightly like ripe pear or banana & has the color of milk.
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and what about outside of Mexico ?
There are many distilleries which are surfing on the success of Tequila and Mezcal and propose alcohol made from the distillation of agave syrup.
