join us tasting hand-select bottles of pechuga to accompany some fantastically prepared food, in our version of a family get together surrounding great food and drink and time with ones we love.
tickets are available here on our site, and just below is a little history on what is pechuga….
The reasons to drink pechuga during the holiday season are plentiful; beyond the literal, winking notion of enjoying your holiday turkey in alcohol form, pechuga is a style of mezcal widely associated with celebration, gatherings, festivities, and family.
A BOTTLE OF PECHUGA CANNOT BE CLOSED
For mezcal lovers in the United States, the winter holidays are an intuitive time to share a bottle of mezcal de pechuga – the style of mezcal most often associated with the inclusion of fruits, spices, and (notoriously) a raw turkey or chicken breast incorporated into the still.
In Spanish, pechuga means breast, and again the literal significance seems obvious, i.e., the breast of the poultry; however, the term arguably carries a double meaning: the breast as the home of the heart and of feelings. Much as Shakespeare’s Romeo refers to the heaviness of his breast as he yearns for Juliet, pechuga is often seen as a mezcal that carries and reflects powerful emotion. As mezcal writer Noah Arenstein notes, “some of the best [pechuga] are deeply personal expressions of a particular producer or village.”
A member of the Cortés family—the mezcaleros known for creating the iconic labels Agave de Cortés, Nuestra Soledad, and El Jolgorio—once told me of an elderly mezcalero ancestor who awoke one morning as though struck by lightning, invigorated and full of joy, and began dancing about the family palenque (the Oaxacan term for a rural distillation site). He called for his family to come and help him, and together they slaughtered a bird, harvested fruits and spices, and produced a stunning batch of pechuga mezcal. It was to be his last work, as he passed away mere days later, leaving behind one final, beautiful spirit for his family to share in remembrance.
Historically, pechuga were often produced for special, even monumental occasions. Batches may be distilled for baptisms, weddings, memorials, Dia de los Muertos, town celebrations…gatherings of all sorts. I’ve heard it said, “you can only distill pechuga when you have the feeling.” I’ve also heard it said, “a bottle of pechuga should not be closed.”
The party must go on.
Pechuga doubles down on the romance, the heritage, the spirituality, and the cultural significance that has attracted so many passionate enthusiasts around the world. It captures the imagination, undeniably. But, as producers and the companies increasingly investing in the category (including those appropriating it) have learned about mezcal in general, that romance is deeply marketable. With increased access, the mysterious pechuga has become even more misunderstood—sometimes even contentious. Generalizations abound, and history gets muddy fast.
So, grab yourself a veladora or a copita or a tumbler full of agave spirit, and let’s unpack a bit of what we do know about the season’s finest destilado….