Pechuga Mezcals to Explore

Traditionally pechuga mezcals made to celebrate the harvest and other important holidays such as Easter, Christmas and La Fiesta de los Fieles Difuntos (the Feast of Lost Souls). Los Siete Misterios Pechuga is distilled twice and then infused with local fruits from the harvest. It is then distilled a third time with a turkey breast suspended in the neck of the still. Made by Maestro Mezcalero Don Celso Martinez in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca.

Gracias a Dios mezcals are produced by brand co-partner and veteran mezcalero Oscar Hernández in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca. This pechuga expression is made from Espadín agave and distilled with Pechuga de Guajolote (turkey) along with cacao, nuts, bananas, apples, raisins, and pineapple. It is double distilled and bottled at 45% ABV.

Crafted by 6th-generation Mezcalero Daniel Hernandez in San Baltazar Guelavila, Oaxaca, this mezcal is made with espadín agaves aged 8+ years before harvest. It's produced with traditional methods including mule-pulled tahona to crush the roasted agave and open-air fermentation using wild yeasts. For this Pechuga bottling, local fruits, herbs, spices and a turkey breast are added to the second distillation.

Don Amado Pechuga begins with agave espadín, distilled twice in a clay pot still. Then it is infused with a variety of fruits, spices, and nuts before being distilled a third time. Pechuga is loosely translated as 'breast' and implies that object close to your heart are what is being added, a representation of very local flavors distilled to honor a season or celebration. Don Amado does not utilize any animals fats in the production of their Pechuga; it is the tradition that been passed down in their family for generations.

Don Mateo Mezcals are made using artisanal and sustainable practices. Unusually for the brand's Pechuga expression, the cupreata agave is used rather than the more neutral espadín that others use. The matriarch of the family, Delia Vargas Vieyra, selects the ingredients for the Pechuga bottling which includes iguana, venison, and turkey along with a selection of dried fruits and nuts. All are hung from inside the still for the third distillation.

Pechuga mezcal is an age-old tradition among mezcal producers throughout Mexico. It is produced in tiny amounts for friends and family on very special occasions with the exact recipes closely-guarded family secrets. For Del Maguey, their Pechuga production starts with the finished Del Maguey Minero Mezcal which gets returned to the pot-still with a mix of wild mountain apples, plums, plantains, pineapples, almonds, white rice. A raw, skinless chicken breast is used to hang above the still for the distillate to travel through. Always bottled at strength without dilution.

El Jolgorio Pechuga mezcal is produced from Espadin agave harvested at ten years of age. The agaves are pit-roasted, crushed by tahona, open fermented, and double-distilled by mezcaleros Valentín Cortes and Gregorio Martinez Jarquin in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca. Various fruits and the breast of a turkey rooster are also put into the still.

Montelobos Pechuga Mezcal starts off as the brand's artisanally made Espadín Joven Mezcal. Then this seasonal release is distilled a third time--this time using a turkey breast, local fruits and spices. It is made small batches and is bottled at 47.9% ABV.

Yuu Baal is a Oaxacan mezcal brand which incorporates mezcal producers from San Juan del Rio, San Luis del Rio, Tlacolula, and Miahuatlan. The name is Zapotec meaning earth (yuu) and fire (baal). The mezcal is made artisanally using a concave stone oven to cook the agaves and a tahona to crush them among other production methods. Yuu Baal Pechuga is triple distilled using fruits and a turkey breast in its final distillation.

Bozal Pechuga is made using traditional production methods with wild cupreata from Guerrero. Before the third distillation, an organic cooked chicken marinates along with locally sourced fruits, chiles, citrus, raisins, cinnamon and cloves. Then the protein and spices are added to the still.