A Mezcal Find For The Ages
Featured Story
Like many mezcal brands that make their way to the states Agua de Cora began with a group of friends and a trip to Oaxaca.
“We were just three friends who fell in love with this special spirit, the art that pulses through the veins of this city and the people who dedicate their life to their craft. It was a bold spray painted bottle that caught our eye initially. On the back was a simple piece of paper with a few details about the mezcal and a tag, Rosita Relampago.”
While it was the striking image on a bottle that initially caught their eye at a market in Oaxaca, it was the delicious elixir inside that captivated their hearts (and ours). There was a challenge though, the bottle had been purchased during Día de los Muertos in 2019 - at a market that no longer existed. It was 2020, the world was gripped by a pandemic, and all they had was the bottle and a single clue. The team embarked on a quest, going door to door in Oaxaca Centro for weeks, asking anyone who might recognize the bottle or its artist.
Then, on Valentine’s Day 2021, fate intervened. They found Andrea, known as Rosita, the artist behind the vibrant, heart-covered bottle, and through her met some of the producers she had worked with, giving birth to Agua de Cora.
This Papalometl batch presented by Agua de Cora was produced by Maestro Mezcalero Manuel Gonzalez and his brothers. They are a family of 4th generation mezcaleros from the small town of Silacayoápam in the Mixteca region about 8 hours north from Oaxaca City. The family works with many wild agave varietals that grow on their land, and specialize in Papalometl which grows abundantly in the area.
Manuel's style is very unique and yields a remarkably fragrant, sweet and dynamic Mezcal. The family utilizes the capón technique of harvest, "castrating" the quiote so that sugars rush back into the piña. In addition, their style is to cut back the pencas (agave leaves) very short, ensuring none of the leaves are included. Shaving these pencas off and only cooking the sugar-rich piña is the secret to their sweet and delicious mezcal. The family uses a range of local woods in the cooking process. This batch utilized a mix of Mesquite and Guamuchil wood and was roasted for 3 days in their stone pit. The mash fermented for 8 days using only well water. Finally, it was distilled twice in a copper still.
This Papalometl batch was distilled in January 2022 and rested in glass in Oaxaca for 18 months before bottling. Storing in glass (especially buried underground) is a traditional practice that softens the mezcal over time.
Distinct aromas of aloe, stone fruits, and melon skin are laced with earthier notes of iodine, with river rock minerality kicking off the sensory experience. On the palate the spirit feels wonderfully cohesive and rich. Sweet notes of roasted agave and stone fruit are quickly accented with a bold unfolding of baking spice that tingles the tongue. The flavor journey continues down a more savory avenue showcasing hints of char, olive, and leather almost reminiscent of a well aged whiskey. The finish is surprising and light with notes of mint, lemongrass and grapefruit zest. Cohesive and dynamic!
All mezcal is produced, stored, bottled and labeled in Oaxaca using local materials. Agua de Cora looks to support the future of Mezcal production by working with S.A.C.R.E.D. to directly support the mezcaleros and their communities. For every bottle of Agua de Cora sold, $5 is donated to purchase seedlings from a Oaxacan school, and distribute them to mezcaleros who will replant the seedlings on their land.
