Mexico’s magic is indisputable. From its ancient ruins and colorful cities to its extraordinary food, art, music, and landscapes, the country has an uncanny ability to inspire creativity. And when it comes to Mexico’s best-known spirits, tequila and mezcal still reign supreme. But they’re only two pieces of a much larger drinking culture that includes everything from ancient beverages like pulque and tepache, niche agave spirits like bacanora and raicilla, or even wildcards like sotol and pox.
Given the country’s sheer diversity of creative influences, it’s no surprise that the world has become increasingly fascinated by what Mexico is pouring. “Mexico has some of the most incredible distilling traditions, ingredients, and producers in the world,” Gabe Ford, bar director at Austin’s Modern Bar, says. “And what is being produced is often rooted in a deep history and culture.”
Spotlighting what’s coming out of Mexico’s beverage scene gives a sense of just how much more there is to discover beyond tequila and mezcal. From Oaxacan whiskey made with ancient corn varietals to sake brewed on Sinaloa’s coast, here are 10 Mexican-made bottles that offer a taste of the country’s impressive drinking culture.
Condesa Clásica Gin
A bottle that’s become increasingly familiar on backbars everywhere, Condesa Gin has exploded in popularity. Inspired by the Condesa neighborhood and made in Mexico City, the extra-dry style gin comes from an all-female team of distillers and celebrates many of the botanicals used in Mexican spiritual rituals and ceremonies. “Herbs like palo santo, sage, myrrh, and jasmine work beautifully with the juniper and coriander to push forward a bright, floral bouquet and a palate rich in herbal intensity and citrus zest,” Evan Flynn, bar manager of Death & Co Denver, says of the spirit. Flynn loves to swap Condesa in classics like Gimlets, Negronis, and Martinis.
Alma Finca Orange Liqueur
Without orange liqueur, there is no true Margarita, and yet French-born brands like Cointreau and Grand Marnier have long led the category. Alma Finca saw an opportunity to change that, creating a Mexican orange liqueur with a blend of bitter and sweet oranges, citrus leaves, allspice, and achiote from the Yucatán Peninsula. According to Alexandra Purcaru, co-founder and beverage director at Selva Bar in Oaxaca, these nuances yield a complex, and slightly spicier liqueur.
Primo Aperitivo
While aperitivo culture is most often associated with Italy, Mexican producers are eagerly putting their own spin on the category. Made in Mexico City, Primo combines grapefruit, hibiscus, guajillo chile, and cacao with bitter roots, herbs, and other botanicals sourced from across the country. “I love that it isn’t too sweet,” Ford says. “It has enough bitterness and structure to be super versatile behind the bar.” Try it in a spritz, or swap for another bitter aperitivo to add complexity to a familiar cocktail.
NAMI Tokubetsu Junmai Sake
Recognized as Mexico’s first premium sake, the team behind NAMI found inspiration in the similarities between their home base of Culiacán and Japan, from their shared maritime cultures to traditions of artisanal craftsmanship. The team spent years learning the traditional brewing process from a Japanese toji (master sake brewer), ultimately deciding to exclusively use Yamada-nishiki rice, widely considered the premier rice for brewing sake. At Denver’s Mezcaleria Alma, chef Johnny Curiel likes pouring Tokubetsu Junmai alongside crudo, taking the familiar sake-and-sushi pairing and applying it to Mexican seafood.
Uruapan Charanda Blanco Rum
Mexico’s relationship with sugarcane runs deep, even if rum gets far less attention than tequila and mezcal. In Michoacán, sugarcane juice, molasses, and piloncillo are used to make Charanda, a protected Mexican spirit with its own Denomination of Origin. Ford recommends adding a bottle of Uruapan Charanda Blanco to your home bar, which combines equal parts estate-grown cane juice and column-distilled molasses.
Maíz Nation Blanco Whiskey
Corn plays an incredibly important role in Mexican culture, making Maíz Nation’s decision to build a whiskey around ancient corn varietals feel especially celebratory. Distilled from four native corns sourced directly from small farmers, the unaged Blanco bottling puts the character of the grain front and center. Purcaru loves using this spirit in cocktails and also appreciates Maíz Nation’s commitment to sustainable sourcing and production, from working directly with generational farming families to operating a solar-powered, off-the-grid distillery.
Alambique Serrano Cartier 30 Oaxacan Rum
The Krassel family has been distilling aguardiente in Oaxaca since the 1930s. Three generations later, the family behind Alambique Serrano is still distilling in the high-altitude region of Santa María Tlalixtac, where they make Cartier 30 from 100 percent organic Java sugarcane and fresh cane juice. Getting to the distillery still requires a four-hour trek on an unpaved road, meaning a bottle of Cartier 30 has quite the journey behind it. Naturally fermented and bottled at 70.3 percent ABV, enjoy it neat to experience its funky, grassy character, or follow chef Curiel’s lead and use it as the base for a delicious Daiquiri.
Parejo Bienvenido Fernández Sotol Cedrosanum
Despite becoming more familiar to Mexican bar menus, sotol is still regularly mistaken for an agave spirit. Distilled from Dasylirion, a desert plant native to northern Mexico, Parejo takes its name from a term vinateros use to describe great sotol. Curiel became such a fan that his restaurants created a custom mash with the brand, named Fonda Fina, which he says tastes like the forest. If you can’t make it to one of Curiel’s restaurants, grab a bottle of Parejo’s Bienvenido Fernández, made from wild cedrosanum harvested in high-elevation Durango.
Edénico Eau de Vie ‘Mango’
Edénico’s Mango Eau de Vie is made with Creole and Petacón mangos grown in Oaxaca’s Cuicatlán Valley, fermented and twice distilled before resting in glass for a year. The spirit — included on VinePair’s 50 Best Spirits of 2023 list — delivers sweet, ripe tropical fruit notes with the true essence of mango. Edénico also produces other eau de vie from fruits like guava, plantain, prickly pear, and guanabana.
Casa D’Aristi Xtabentún
One can’t talk about Mexico without Maya culture, and Xtabentún is steeped in it. Named for a native flower, the honey and anise liqueur is inspired by balché, an ancient beverage traditionally associated with Maya ceremonies. Casa D’Aristi’s recipe dates to the 1930s, blending fermented honey from the Xtabentún flower with Mexican rum and anise. While it can be a tad sweet on its own, use it in mezcal or tequila cocktails to add a distinct depth of flavor.
