Drink of the Week: Paquera Artesanal Arroqueño

In drinks, as in all things, it’s good to have your expectations or preconceptions completely blown out of the water from time to time. My first uttered words upon tasting the Artesanal Arroqueño agave distillate from Paquera are not exactly suitable for print, but the gist was “Wow.” The world of mezcal is fascinating for a myriad of reasons, from its lengthy cultural history to its many unique production methods. But the sheer flavor spectrum found within the agave spirit category is genuinely mind blowing, and the Artesanal Arroqueño from Paquera is a great example.

The Artesanal Arroqueño is labeled destilado de agave, literally agave distillate, rather than mezcal. More and more producers are opting not to obtain the legal certification of the mezcal name, a process that can be both logistically and financially prohibitive, especially for smaller producers. But the mission of U.S.-based Paquera, founded in 2018, has been to bring traditionally made agave spirits to a wider market, working with a co-op to bring the producers into the spotlight.

The Paquera Artesanal Arroqueño is produced by the Vasquez family in San Esteban Amatlán, Oaxaca, with Teodolo Vasquez (one of 4 brothers and one sister who run the operation) serving as head mezcalero. Made from 12-year-old Arroqueño agave cooked in a conical earthen oven and macerated with a horse-drawn tahona, the spirit ferments in open, pine barrels and is distilled twice in copper. To attempt to encapsulate the living universe of aromas and flavors found within the final spirit in a few succinct words would be woefully insufficient. I simply urge you to grab a bottle while you can, sip it neat from your favorite copita, and have your mind blown. $98.99, paqueramezcal.com