Want to improve your sotol fluency? Tess Rose recommends the perfect sotol brand for a quick and dirty DIY sotol tasting.
It’s undeniable that the category of sotol is expanding, both in terms of production and new brands, as well as public curiosity. While I doubt it will ever eclipse Mezcal in sales or interest, the desert spoon spirit has piqued the interest of adventurous imbibers. Of the newer sotol brands I’ve come across, Cardenxe stands out–thanks to its regional diversity and the overall standard of quality that’s connecting thread among the various expressions.
This sotol brand was founded by Luigi Ambrosi, an Italian-Mexican who found himself in Durango on a musical project focused on el canto cardenxe, a type of traditional emotive folk song. It was in Durango that he tasted sotol, and the vision for the brand was born. Fast forward a couple of years, and Cardenxe is a terroir-forward brand that offers three expressions that represent distinct regions and styles of sotol.
The collection is made up of Sotol de La Sierra, Sotol del Desierto, and Sotol de Pradera. The sierra expression is from the ancient mining town of Maderathe, in the Sierra Madre Occidental region of Chihuahua. It’s made from locally grown sotol (regionally known as sereque) and features a flavor profile of forest pine, grass, and nuttiness. The desierto expression also hails from Chihuahua, from Ciudad Aldama, and is made from three different types of dasylirion, showing off complex layers of sweet minerality, an earthy core, and an aftertaste of roasted cacao. Sotol de Pradera is made at a solar-powered distillery in Nombre De Dios, Durango, and is notable for notes of toasted corn and dusty leather.
Each expression evokes a different sense of Northern Mexican tradition and flavors; the bottles make sense together as a collection while remaining distinct. The brand is currently distributed throughout New York, Florida, California, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, and Arkansas, and bottles are available to ship nationwide from Sip Tequila’s online store.
As a whole, the lineup offers a nice foray into the world of sotol, though it benefits from a thoughtful pairing board to coax out the flavors and charm within. You’re definitely off to a good start with cheese, nuts, and fruit, all standard building blocks of a casual yet thoughtful pairing board. In chatting with Luigi, he had some specific suggestions: apples for the sierra, walnuts with the desierto, and queso ranchero with the pradero.
I would also add sourdough toast points with a compound herb butter–think rosemary and oregano to complement the woodsy notes in the sierra and desierto. Dark chocolate-covered pecans will bring out roasted and toasty elements of the pradero. You might also consider something bright and tangy like the new Colada Royal pineapple, which is more flavorful and complex than your average pineapple, making it an all-star for sotol and agave pairings. If you can’t find one of these special release pineapples, opt for the ripest one you can find–oftentimes that means buying it a few days in advance to let it ripen on the counter.
I like to slice it into bite sized pieces and squeeze the juice from the husk over top of the fruit. Serve it in a shallow dish with forks or toothpicks for easy bites between sips. Arrange the rest of the elements similarly in a family-style way and give everyone their own dishes and utensils to create personalized pairing plates.
As always, you should feel free to fall back on other tried-and-true pairings and embrace what you have on hand or easily accessible. This format works particularly well to hone in on which flavors and textures you enjoy the most about stylistically diverse sotols, while also practicing pairing skills. Ask yourself and your tasting buddies: What is it about this bite that works so well with one sotol but not the other? In tasting, talking, and exploring, there is a lot to be learned about sotol, pairing, and your personal preference. Getting to know your preferences will be especially helpful as the market continues to see an influx of new sotol brands that cover more regions and styles.
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