A growing cadre of exciting Mexican liqueurs are appearing on bars, and we’re on board with this trend. Read on to learn what we’re drinking this summer. Editor’s note: Our recommendations are never sponsored.
In the past year, we’ve been looking beyond the horizons of mezcal to the wider world of Mexican craft spirits. The landscape is just that exciting! And what we’ll be drinking this summer reflects that. From bitter liqueur with soda to a bright and friendly sotol, here are our recommendations for building an ideal summer bar. We start with some exciting liqueurs, followed by the Mexican rum, gin, and sotol we’ll be drinking this summer. (Check out last week’s list for our latest tequila and mezcal recommendations.)
Granada-Vallet/32 % ABV
A new concoction from the house that makes Fernet-Vallet (popularly known as “Mexican Fernet”). Granada-Vallet is the company’s answer to Campari, and it’s less sweet and actually colored with cochineal. While it’s marketed as a pomegranate liqueur, the palate is dominated with grapefruit pith, gentian, and orange peel. It’s legitimately bitter and fabulous in its versatility–it makes a great spritz, gives the perfect twist to a tequila or mezcal Negroni, can be sipped over ice, and also works as cocktail bitters. This should be a bar staple. Read more about House Vallet in our crash course in Mexican liqueurs and bitters.
Paranubes Cafe de Olla/25% ABV
We have good reason for devoting so many words to the coffee liqueur from Paranubes. It’s just that damned good. The liqueur is built on a base of Paranubes Rum, or aguardiente de caña, as it’s known at its point of origin in the Sierra Mazateca of Oaxaca. The rum’s briny quality balances the rich Oaxacan coffee and the high, sweet notes of cinnamon and sarsaparilla. Although there’s clearly so many exciting cocktail options, Paranubes Cafe de Olla stands alone–it’s amazing on ice and also delicious with soda water, making it perfect for those occasions when you’ve rationalized an uplifting breakfast cocktail.
Alma Tepec/40% ABV
This chile liqueur is lively with serious heat and a hearty dose of smoke from toasted pasilla mixe chiles from Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte region. It pairs well with most Mexican craft spirits and is the ideal twist of spice in a mezcal margarita. It’s also lovely on ice, but you might want to save that iteration for summer nights because it really does pack some heat. If you can’t find it in your market, Ancho Reyes is an old favorite.
Maleza Tejate Liquor/33%
If you’ve ever wandered into a market in Oaxaca, you have likely seen big bowls filled with a foamy, light brown liquid that women are constantly mixing. Hopefully you’ve let your curiosity override any hesitation–because Tejate is hands-down delicious. Made from corn and cacao, it is cool, refreshing, and full of all sorts of nutrients. This liqueur version from Taller Astrafilia maintains all those ingredients and the deliciousness. The base alcohol is corn distillate from Chiapas called Pox, which is then macerated with toasted corn, fermented cacao, mamey seeds, and rosita de cacao flowers. It makes for an interesting mixer but an even better sipper over ice. Or just keep it in the freezer so it’s always cold and ready for hot nights. Read more about Taller Astrafilia, a groundbreaking cooperative working to highlight and conserve Mexico’s rich botanical heritage.
Alma Limoncello/30%
Perhaps one of the most common confusing words for non-Mexicans is limon–so close to lemon, and yet it is lime. Alma Limoncello is made with limes from Veracruz, which are hand peeled and then macerated in a corn-based distillate. It has about 40% less sugar than the traditional Italian liqueur, making it very crisp, citrusy, and perfect for a spritz. Alma Limoncello is produced at the Flor de Luna distillery in Estado de Mexico.
La Higuera Sotol Durango Ensamble/48% ABV
A easygoing sotol that’s perfect for summertime, this well-rounded ensemble of wheeleri durangense and cedrosanum, starts with peppery high notes, giving way to subtle lactic, waxy undertones with a hint of grassiness. The long finish sings with a delicious mouthwatering sweetness. This sotol is ouble-distilled in a copper alembic by Maestro David Burciaga in Nicolás Romero, Durango.
Dakabend Rum/51% ABV
A beautiful expression of pure sugarcane. This is made in the rhum agricole style, which is to say straight from fermented fresh-squeezed sugarcane and brown sugar piloncillo grown in the mountains of Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte. Dakabend is made by the same distillers behind Tosba Mezcal. It has just the right amount of funk that tells you this is a field rum. Lively and slightly spicy on first taste, with an underlying sweetness that makes it a great sipper.
Charanda Caña Criolla/49%
Charanda Uruapan might be the most well-known Mexican rum in the market and there is a reason for that–the Pacheco family have been producing rum for more than 110 years. This rum is part of a new project that explores the flavors of different heirloom varieties of sugarcane processed in an ancestral style: fresh sugarcane from a water-driven mill, open fermentation of the cane juice, and Filipino-style distillation designed by a mezcal producer. Honestly, at first sip I was convinced it was mezcal. Big, huge flavors and so much complexity–it is tropical and tastes like something straight from the fields in all the best ways. Learn more about charanda.
Diega Gin Verde/40% ABV
Nothing says summer like a refreshing Gin and Tonic, and the Diega Gin Verde is the perfect base. Produced by Bodegas Collado in the outskirts of Mexico City, it is bright and refreshing due to the mix of botanicals that include lemon rinds, cucumber, and rosemary sourced from the Flor de la Paz Foundation. It is also incredibly price friendly–making it something you can sip on throughout the summer. Learn more about Mexican gin.
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