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That's the Spirit - Spotlight on Sotol—Quenchol
Spotlight on Sotol
GET TO KNOW MEXICO’S NEXT BEST THING
By Victoria CeCe
When someone mentions a drink from Mexico, your first thoughts might be tequila, mezcal, or maybe Mexican cocacola. While these are all very fine and delicious drinks, there’s another Mexican libation out there that deserves some major spotlight—sotol—and 3 Badge Beverage wants the world to know all about it.
Hailing from Northern Mexico, sotol is a spirit that isn’t derived from the agave plant like its Southern Mexican spirit brethren. It’s made with sotol, scientifically known as dasylirion, a genus of plants that is strangely enough part of the asparagus family.
3 Badge Beverage’s Quechol Sotol is a sublime introduction to sotol, with its complex flavor, and incredibly rich history. “We wanted to build a brand that honors a piece of history and tradition from Northern Mexico, the same region where our sotol is being sourced from,” says August Sebastiani, President of 3 Badge Beverage, the company behind Bozal Mezcal and Pasote Tequila.
From plant to bottle, Quechol Sotol honors the land and culture behind sotol. “With so much left to be discovered about sotol, much of our brand is focused on category education, above all else,” comments Sebastiani.
This education all begins with Northern Mexico’s history.
Each bottle of Quechol Sotol is a poetic tribute to sotol’s indigenous roots. These roots go as far back as the Aztecs, who were profound protectors of the land. This inspired Sebastiani to design a beverage that symbolized the poetry of nature, inside and out.
Meaning “precious feather” in the Nahuatl (Aztec) language, ‘Quechol’ represents a colorful and divine bird referenced throughout Aztec poetry. Each Quechol Sotol bottle is modeled after the shape of a spoonbill’s bill, and the design is inspired by its textured feathers and turquoise-colored plumage. Every label even features a translated line of Aztec poetry.
Prioritizing nature is also a key aspect of Quechol Sotol’s production. Every drop of sotol is made by a family-run distillery in Durango that runs only on solar energy. Not only that, the sotol is organic, crafted with fresh mountain water, and hand-harvested wild sotol plants.
With wild sotol comes a variety of flavors. Sotol’s profile has an impressive range in character, from leaner, brighter styles to bold expressions with striking vegetal notes. “Like mezcal, different varieties of this plant introduce different characteristics into the spirits produced,” says Sebastiani. It’s this versatility that makes sotol such a fascinating contender in the spirits world. This Mexican spirit can stand alone or find its way whimsically into various cocktails. “With sotol, the sky is the limit!” comments Sebastiani.
The future does seem limitless for sotol. To Sebastiani and the 3 Badge Beverage team, sotol isn’t far behind its popular agave spirit siblings. “At the moment, sotol is in a similar place to where mezcal was just a few short years ago. It lends itself to much exploration and growth,” adding Sebastiani. And he’s right. There was a time where mezcal lurked in the shadows of tequila, and now has made itself a space of its own in the spirit world.
With Quechol Sotol’s launch, it seems like the perfect time to turn our heads towards this new spirit on the horizon, one that is a refreshing reminder of the richness and depth of Mexico’s beverage culture.
Bird of Paradise
INGREDIENTS
2 oz. Quechol Texanum 4 oz. Raspberry Lime Spindrift Pineapple, freshly chopped Lime twist
PREPARATION
In a glass, combine Quechol Texanum and Raspberry Lime Spindrift. Add freshly chopped pineapple to taste. Add ice. Garnish with a twist of lime and pineapple wedge.
