Many who've fallen in love with tequila over the past few years find themselves swept into a world of spirited alternatives.
Inevitably, the first is usually mezcal, the smoky, oft-misunderstood "cousin" variously likened to either gasoline or hipster bait for all the wrong reasons. Trod a little further down the path and you'll find raicilla and bacanora, a pair of once-illegal spirits that have finally found their time shine as so much more than moonshine. Explore even further and the journey ends at pulque, the frothy Mesoamerican progenitor that laid the groundwork for just about everything after.
But what about the road less traveled?
Contrary to popular belief, Mexican spirits are not quite synonymous with agave spirits. The country's centuries-old traditions of fermentation and distillation have created a rich tapestry of flavors so much more than tequila, many of which are still readily available today despite their ancient roots. Travel to Michoacán to find a flourishing rum industry unlike anything you've ever tasted, to Chiapas for ancestral corn liquor still imbibed in ritual medicine, to the Yucatán peninsula for an anise and honey liqueur that'll knock the socks off your bar cart.
From liquor to wines and everything in between, here's a look at nine definitive Mexican drinks not made with agave.
Sotol, incorrectly classified in many a roundup as the "third agave spirit" beyond tequila and mezcal, is a beast of its own. This earthy, terroir-forward liquor is distilled from desert spoon shrubs that are thinner and more leathery than the average agave, growing in dense clusters that sprout a characteristic flowering spike reaching 10 to 15 feet tall. The plants are endemic to the Chihuahua desert of northern Mexico, Texas and Arizona. The hearts of these succulents are trimmed and roasted much like a mezcal, resulting in a grassy spirit rich with hints of minerality, spicy peppers and pine needles.
Sotol has slowly but surely begun to catch on in the U.S. with big-name benefactors like Hacienda de Chihuahua and Casa Lotos. Four-time Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz has even gotten in on the action with his own brand, Nocheluna. If celebrity benefactors aren't a sign of trends to come, we don't know what is.
However, as sotol's popularity grows, its reputation as a quintessentially Mexican spirit diminishes. Unlike tequila and mezcal, sotol's designation of origin is not recognized by American authorities. This conceit has given birth to an argument-prone industry that leads dual lives above and below the border, with a handful of brands in the U.S. (particularly Texas) distilling the spirit to the ire of Mexican regulators. As the debate rages on, time will tell if sotol can retain its distinctive character or become swallowed into a larger, more nebulous umbrella category.
If Mexico's vast agave fields are synonymous with tequila, its equally prolific corn fields are synonymous (at least in part) with pox.
The spirit, pronounced "posh," a la fancy British things, is distilled from a mix of corn, wheat and/or sugar cane. The exact recipe varies quite a bit based on who's making it, particularly given that Mexico has yet to codify any norms or a true definition into law. Widely agreed upon, however, is that pox began life as a ceremonial liquor made by the Tzotzil Mayans of the Chiapas highlands. Today's recipes were largely passed down within the Tzotzil community, which continues to imbibe the spirit as a ritual medicine alongside ingredients like coffee beans, garlic and honey.
The liquor's flavor typically falls somewhere between a toasty whiskey and the caramelized finish of rum. For drinkers who've never experienced those flavors inside an unaged spirit, pox is a truly one-of-a-kind experience. The industry leader within the category, Siglo Cero, is overseen by a seventh-generation pox distiller and is well worth checking out.
Tepache in its simplest form is a fermented beverage made from pineapple rinds and piloncillo, a type of unrefined cane sugar. Brewed by home cooks and street vendors throughout the streets of Mexico, the drink's tart, fruit-forward profile is not entirely unlike kombucha — a comparison that American-facing brands have been quick to capitalize on.
Consumers within the U.S. are probably most familiar with De La Calle!, a non-alcoholic sparkling twist on the beverage that's begun popping up at Whole Foods in a rainbow assortment of flavors. On the boozier side of the spectrum, you'll find Tepache Sazon, a 7%-ABV brew that became the first commercially available alcoholic tepache brand when it debuted in 2023. As competitors like Big Easy, Holy Tepache and Buchi muscle into the market, the category appears to be growing fast with a flair for experimentation.
Earlier this month, the beverage found an unlikely new contender in Atávica, a distilled tepache spirit produced in the state of Jalisco. The spirit appears to be one of the first of its kind, at least commercially, though it likely won't be the last. We're eager to see what's next to come in this rapidly growing category and would recommend any of the above brands if you're interested in exploring the options.
4. Xtabentún
[caption id="attachment_101231" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Casa D'Aristi)[/caption]
Xtabentún (pronounced "ish-ta-ben-toon") may be the best-kept secret of a liqueur scarcely known beyond its home country. The drink begins with a base of anise seeds and fermented honey produced from the nectar of xtabentún flowers, ingredients which are combined with rum to create a sweet, botanical and oh-so-syrupy medley of unique flavor. The recipe is thought to have originated in balché, a ceremonial liquor made from tree bark and honey consumed by the Mayans.
Though a ubiquitous sight behind the bar counter throughout Mexico, xtabentún is pretty difficult to find stateside unless you're ordering online. That's a shame because it works excellently as an after-dinner treat much like an Amaro Montenegro or Fernet. Given the booming popularity of digestifs among the trendy, liquor-knowledgable crowd, it wouldn't be surprising to see xtabentún make a big splash in the U.S. sometime in the foreseeable future. If you're hoping to grab a bottle, Casa D'Aristi is the definitive brand for the job.
Mexican corn whisky is a nascent category with a lot to prove. Common sense tells us that corn — one of the building blocks of Mexican cuisine — would be an obvious ingredient of choice inside one of the world's most popular liquors. But that's not necessarily the case. It wasn't until 2013 that the first officially recognized Mexican whisky was produced, and only a handful of competitors have hit the market in years since. Nonetheless, interest in the spirit is growing fast.
The biggest name currently available is Abasolo, which claims to be the first whisky distilled in Mexico using 100% ancestral corn. Fittingly, its flavor profile is abundantly corn-forward, much more so than the average bourbon that folds in additional nuances of caramel, vanilla and oak. The distillery also uses Abasolo inside a corn liqueur called Nixta Licor De Elote, which is equally delicious in its own right and demands inclusion in your next savory Old Fashioned.
Aguardiente, Spanish for "fire water," is an umbrella term applied to a vast range of liquors distilled throughout Spain and the Americas. The most famous of the bunch include Colombian aguardiente, usually flavored with anise, Chilean aguardiente, distilled with grape skins and pulp and Spanish aguardiente, variously made with either cider or herbs.
Mexican aguardiente is a rabbit hole in and of itself, one of the most recognizable being aguardiente de caña. This form of rhum agricole is made using freshly pressed sugarcane, typically within the state of Oaxaca. As such, the spirit sadly tends to be overshadowed by that state's most famous export, mezcal, of which it produces nearly 90% of brands on the market.
As with all aguardientes, de caña is difficult to classify. Among better-known names like Paranubes and El Tigre, flavors can dive deep into an unwieldy combo of vinegar acidity, funk, throat-scorching heat and vegetality. In some ways, it's the exact opposite of what many expect from something generously dubbed a rum. In other ways, it's the best example of how the category completely subverts expectations time and time again. Whether or not that sounds like your jam, a 1-liter bottle of Paranubes costs a mere $45. So why not see for yourself?
Charanda, another form of aguardiente, is the only type of rum recognized with a designation of origin in Mexico. This regional spirit of Michoacán derives its name from the Purépecha word for "red soil," a nod to the arid, high-altitude terrain in which its sugarcanes are grown.
Let's take a brief pause and circle back to that designation of origin. Unlike mezcal, which has a comparatively generous designation that extends to nine states and counting, charanda is exclusive to just 16 of the 113 municipalities within Michoacán. That specificity ensures exacting production methods and flavor profiles unrivaled by any other spirit on this list, let alone the spirits market at large. In other words, this a long shot from your average aguardiente.
Charanda can either be made using 100% fresh pressed sugarcane or a mix of sugarcane with piloncillo and molasses. Regardless of what combination producers choose, all ingredients must originate from within approved Michoacán municipalities. The juice is then open-air fermented using wild yeasts before distillation in copper pot stills. Its flavor profile delivers many of those characteristic rhum agricole notes — grass, funk and flowers — alongside distinct hits of vanilla and creaminess that even out the palate.
Check out Uruapan Single Agricola for a mid-budget, 100% sugarcane rendition of the concept.
8. Kalani
[caption id="attachment_101236" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Casa D'Aristi)[/caption]
Considering the vast reach of the piña colada, it's surprising that Malibu and RumChata are the only real contenders in the coconut liqueur market. If you've grown tired of those old, not-so-reliable favorites, it's time to give kalani a try.
The most popular version of the recipe infuses Mexican sugar cane rum into fresh coconut milk harvested from Yellow Dwarf coconuts found throughout the Yucatán peninsula. The end result is a touch less sweet than the standard coconut liqueur, adding additional nuances of milk chocolate, cocoa and caramel right at home within a fully-flavored tiki cocktail. Though the name is almost solely associated with a liqueur that Casa D'Aristi produces, other brands make twists on the concept that are readily available within Mexico.
9. Wines Galore
[caption id="attachment_101501" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Bichi Wines/Facebook)[/caption]
It's a touch unfair to lump all Mexican wines into a single section. The country's output is as vast as any other with a history of grape cultivation, especially once you factor in the myriad differences in elevation, soil and habitat found across the region. Nonetheless, we'd like to take the opportunity to shout out a few noteworthy brands.
Bodegas de Santo Tomas Duetto, by all accounts the most-awarded wine in Baja California, is an exceptional tempranillo sauvignon filled with rich (though pricy) hints of sandalwood, figs and black fruit. Best paired with red meats, roasted vegetables or perhaps a chocolatey mole. On the light and fruity side of things, find Bichi Rosa, a skin-contact natural rosé easily identifiable by the luchador on its label. Bichi Wines produces quite a few natural reds and rosés that clock in under $40, any and all of which are worth picking up if you can manage to find them in the U.S. For fans of crisp, tropical sauvignon blancs, check out Don Leo from Valle de Parras. Take a trip northwest to Valle de Guadalupe and you'll find Baron Balch'e Zinfandel, an inky red stuffed with dessert-like flavors of jam, cacao nibs and baking spice.
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(Photo: Singlo Cero)[/caption]
(Photo: Atávica Tepache Distillate)[/caption]
(Photo: Casa D'Aristi)[/caption]
(Photo: Abasolo)[/caption]
(Photo: Paranubes)[/caption]
(Photo: Casa D'Aristi)[/caption]
(Photo: Bichi Wines/Facebook)[/caption]
It's a touch unfair to lump all Mexican wines into a single section. The country's output is as vast as any other with a history of grape cultivation, especially once you factor in the myriad differences in elevation, soil and habitat found across the region. Nonetheless, we'd like to take the opportunity to shout out a few noteworthy brands.
Bodegas de Santo Tomas Duetto, by all accounts the most-awarded wine in Baja California, is an exceptional tempranillo sauvignon filled with rich (though pricy) hints of sandalwood, figs and black fruit. Best paired with red meats, roasted vegetables or perhaps a chocolatey mole. On the light and fruity side of things, find Bichi Rosa, a skin-contact natural rosé easily identifiable by the luchador on its label. Bichi Wines produces quite a few natural reds and rosés that clock in under $40, any and all of which are worth picking up if you can manage to find them in the U.S. For fans of crisp, tropical sauvignon blancs, check out Don Leo from Valle de Parras. Take a trip northwest to Valle de Guadalupe and you'll find Baron Balch'e Zinfandel, an inky red stuffed with dessert-like flavors of jam, cacao nibs and baking spice.
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