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Mezcal de Pechuga

NOTES

Mezcal de pechuga (pechuga translating to “breast” in Spanish) is a centuries-old distillation technique in which a hefty protein is hung above the still. Depending on the region, pechugas have been made with everything, rabbit, chicken, snake, pork, etc. As vapors wash over the protein, juices from the meat drip down into the bubbling spirit-in-progress. Usually, the batch will also be cut with a variety of local ingredients. In Yola’s case, turkey breast is combined with fresh orange, tangerine, lime, guayaba (guava), pineapple and tejocote* for a seasonal mix of Oaxacan culinary influences.

“In Mexico, there’s a big range of Pechuga mezcals and producers will personalize it with their own combination of fruits, or different types of protein – some use chicken,” Jimenez told Forbes.

Yola Pechuga is a very bright and fruit forward spirit. It doesn’t taste like turkey at all, nor does it have any off textures / oiliness.

*Tejocote fruit, botanically classified as Crataegus Mexicana, is the common name for pome fruits belonging to the Rosaceae family. The tiny, apple-like fruits grow on compact trees or shrubs reaching 4 to 9 meters in height and are a species of Mexican hawthorn native to Mexico. Tejocote fruits release a sweet and subtly tropical aroma and have a mild, astringent, sour, and sweet flavor with green, plum-like notes. When the fruits are cooked, the flesh will soften and absorb accompanying flavors, developing a sweeter, more palatable taste. The name Tejocote isderived from "texocotl," a word from the Aztec Nahuatl language roughly translating to mean “a fruit that is bitter, acidic, and hard as stone. The fruits have been used for centuries in traditional medicines practiced throughout Mexico to aid in digestion, boost the immune system (vitamin C), and to treat cough / sore throat.

SUSTAINABILITY
Production is vertically integrated from plant to bottling. Yola is dedicated to sustainable planting and growing techniques, and environmentally-responsible production practices. This includes low wood distilling, solar power, and rainwater catchment systems, as well as supporting local reforestation funds.