Even as Americans become more familiar with mezcal— the other Mexican spirit distilled from the agave plant— one specific style remains unsung. Mezcal de pechuga (pechuga translates to breast in Spanish), is made when a finished mezcal is redistilled with local fruits, grains, and nuts, and a raw chicken or turkey breast is hung over the still, cooking in the emanating vapors, supposedly adding to the spirit's final flavor.
These mezcals are usually made in small batches according to old family recipes, and the few bottles for sale here in the U.S. are generally pretty pricey—even by mezcal standards. That bottle of Del Maguey pechuga? Expect to drop almost $200.
History
Although mezcal has existed for at least 500 years both in and around the spirit's central and southern Mexico appellation of origin states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Durango, and Michoacán, there’s no solid proof that pechuga has been around for as long.
Mezcal expert Alvin Starkman, owner of Mezcal Educational Tours in Oaxaca, traces the liquor back to the 1940s, citing that mezcal de pechuga's history, and that of mezcal in general, is so nebulous because the spirit is typically made in palenques (distilleries) outside remote countryside villages. "So much of it has to do with oral histories, and people's recollections go back only so far," explains Starkman.
Production
To make mezcal, the agave plant's piña (heart) is removed and cut, then roasted in an earthen pit, crushed into small pieces, and fermented in open vats. The liquid is next distilled at least twice in clay or copper stills (the more traditinoal clay vessels are believed to impart an earthier flavor, but copper stills are more durable and less expensive). For mezcal de pechuga, the mezcalero (mezcal producer) performs a third distillation where the vapor from the boiling liquid infuses with the given protein, and this hanging charm is said to give the spirit a fuller body.
Further, in effort to impart an extra layer of sweetness and mellow out the agave's smoky, earthy, roasted flavors, during that final distillation, producers also add a proprietary mix of fruits, herbs, nuts, and spices to the still.
In Mexico, these artisanal mezcals are traditionally consumed during rite of passage celebrations like baptisms, marriages, and quinceañeras, and oftentimes a distiller's whole family will participate in collecting the seasonal ingredients for a celebratory pechuga.
Unlike tequila, which must be distilled specifically from the blue agave plant, many different agave varietals can be used to produce mezcal. However, espadin is the most common and is distilled in most, if not all, pechugas for both financial reasons and flavor objectives. Compared to other agave species, espadin is hearty, relatively large in size, and matures quickly. It also channels a balanced overall flavor, while other types of agave taste more strongly of herbs and citrus.
According to Starkman "If you're already paying a premium to get the flavor of the tobala, the tepeztate, or arroqueño, why turn that into a pechuga, which is going to change the flavor again?"
The Recipes
Most pechugas—which, as mentioned, follow family formulas passed down through generations—usually call for local ingredients. Starkman regularly takes tours to visit Felix Angeles, an independent palenquero (distiller) who makes a version with chicken and places a mix of almonds, banana, apple, raisins, pineapple, guava, rice, cinnamon and more in the still.
However, mezcal brands have recently recognized the potential to sell these nuanced spirits abroad. Pioneering mezcal producer Del Maguey was the first to bring pechuga to the U.S. market roughly 15 years ago. Since then, other companies like El Jolgorio, Wahaka, and Rey Campero have followed with their own interpretations.
While pechuga is traditionally distilled with a suspended chicken as its protein, some enterprising mezcaleros are now building on the past by experimenting with less common ingredients as a means of marketing to foreigners. Although venison and iguana meat pechugas are stuck south of the border, Pierde Almas has experimented with a pechuga distilled from rabbit, while Del Maguey collaborated with famed Spanish chef José Andrés on an expression that involves Ibérico ham.
But do all these unique proteins actually affect the mezcal’s flavor? "If someone were to put two pechugas side by side, one was turkey, one was chicken, I probably wouldn't be able to tell," says Josh Phillips, co-owner of the forthcoming Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, D.C. "You could probably tell them apart easily, but that's probably because of what else is in the still." The aromas of fruits and spices mute any subtle flavor left from the meat, so using different proteins to make pechugas is more for the novelty factor.
And then there's the subject of vegetarian pechugas that don’t use any meat at all. "It's fair to call it a vegetarian or vegan pechuga since it has virtually the same nuance as if the pechuga was added ... unless you have an amazingly refined palate," states Starkman.
Aging
It’s important to note that pechugas aren’t infused mezcals like those containing the famous worm. Pechugas are clear and technically fall into the white (blanco) mezcal category. And whether a mezcal should be aged at all is a particularly controversial issue. Experts like Ulises Torrentera, owner of In Situ mezcal bar in Oaxaca and author of Mezcalaria, writes that aging mezcal is unfaithful to the spirit's tradition. Meanwhile, others argue that, long ago, the Spanish likely shipped mezcal back to Europe in used sherry casks, effectively aging it.
Nevertheless, aging mezcal de pechuga is particularly fruitless. Starkman reckons that "There is really no point in aging the pechuga because you're changing or bastardizing what you want." Aging a pechuga would effectively muddy any of the liquor's nuanced flavors. That means most, if not all, pechugas are unaged, at least for now.
Price
Pechugas are commanding top dollar on the American mezcal market—about $100 to $400 per bottle. Adding fruit, nuts, spices, and other ingredients naturally increases the cost of production, as does the extra time it takes for a producer to perform a third distillation. Any mezcal sold outside of Mexico must also be certified by the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal (the government body that regulates mezcal production), which only drives up the bottle's cost more.
Drinking Mezcal de Pechuga
Until recently, pechugas consumed in Mexican villages were traditionally reserved for special celebrations, but that’s changing. "Now you find it in the city in mezcalerias, or sold in restaurants," says Georgina Velásquez Zárate, owner of La Mezcalerita in Oaxaca. "So you can drink it whenever you want, or really whenever you can because it’s one of the most expensive mezcals."
Per Velásquez Zárate, the proper way to drink pechuga—like mezcal in general— is straight with no ice, served beside a glass of water. And don't even think about mixing that pechuga in a cocktail. In his book Mezcalaria, Torrentera writes, "It is my belief that cocktails are simply the most extravagant way of degrading mescal. Mezcal cocktails are for unrefined palates that need other elements to disguise the strong yet smooth flavor of mezcal."
However, Phillips is more open-minded. "From a financial perspective, using a pechuga in a cocktail is probably a no-no as far as a bar goes," he admits. "But in my own home, I have absolutely made many a drink with pechuga." His beverage manager, Megan Barnes, is more hesitant to use pechuga in cocktails, but thinks something light, like a spin on a gin and tonic, could be acceptable "Maybe if you're doing something simple like that," she concedes. "But if you're adding a bunch of weird ingredients, then it would totally just take away from the pechuga."