he history of raicilla (pronounced rye-SEE-yah) is older than Mexico itself. Some believe it was created during the 17th century in San Sebastián del Oeste, a mining town located 4,800 feet up in the mountains of what today is the state of Jalisco. Others claim raicilla is centuries older and was renamed during the 18th century by producers who were attempting to skirt taxes levied by the Spanish. Long viewed as Mexico’s moonshine, the spirit finally got its due in 2019, when the government granted raicilla Denomination of Origin, or DO, status. In the few years since, the quality of offerings—and the attention they’re getting from spirits enthusiasts and bartenders—has soared.
Made from the piñas of agave plants—which are first cooked (typically roasted) in stone ovens, fermented, and finally distilled (usually in clay or copper stills)—raicilla is essentially a type of mezcal. But its aromas and flavors offer a distinct departure from those of the spirit’s better-known Oaxacan cousins.
Characterized mostly by floral and vegetal overtones, raicilla is more aromatic than tequila and lacks the inherent smokiness of most mezcals. Like mezcal, raicilla can be made from dozens of wild and cultivated species of agave, and its flavor profile is largely influenced by terroir. Because of this, some expressions can be wildly funky with savory notes that even resemble blue cheese.
As was the case when mezcal was introduced to American palates, raicilla is gradually finding its way into craft cocktails from top bartenders. Carlos Kennedy-Lopez, the head bartender at Lolita in New York City, uses it as a rum substitute in a swizzle. “The raicilla has an incredible backbone with citrus and bright fruit notes,” he says. Chance Royce, the bar manager at Seven Spirits in Austin, Texas, finds that most raicillas, given their richness and full-bodied character, work better in boozy, stirred drinks. “A raicilla old-fashioned is heartier and more savory,” says Royce, who also serves a raicilla-based Negroni accented with tamarind.
Regardless of how consumers are first tasting raicilla, the category—however small—is growing in popularity. According to Christopher Stevens, director of sales and marketing for spirits importer Craft Distillers, that trend owes to the popularity of agave-based spirits in general. “People are really delving deep into the rabbit hole,” he says. “They’re curious.”
Conforming to the understanding that raicillas distilled near the coast are drier than their mountainous counterparts, this small-batch spirit delivers an abundance of melon and green pepper flavor up front, which transitions to a mild smokiness. A mineral-like undertone reflects the slow-growing wild agaves used in this raicilla’s production, while the spirit’s softness can be attributed to the unique copper still used, one that incorporates a hollow tree trunk.
A touch sweeter and rounder than the producer’s flagship raicilla, which is crafted from the same mountain-grown Maximiliana agave plant, Estancia’s Raicilla Pechuga is a seasonal release that relies on a third distillation incorporating turkey breast, as well as locally foraged ingredients such as roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh hibiscus, and quince. The resulting flavor profile isn’t so much funky as it is savory and complex.
Not for the faint of heart, this raicilla expression, one of more than a half dozen crafted by La Venenosa, features a species of agave that natives of Jalisco call Bruto. This spirit is just that—a brute. Distilled in a ceramic still, this wild-agave raicilla delivers bold (and polarizing) aromas and flavors of aged cheese. It’s the ideal raicilla for mezcal enthusiasts who think they’ve tasted it all.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Volutpat lectus leo in eu sagittis
Follow Us On
