El Jolgorio Pechuga Navideña Mezcal

Part of the El Jolgorio Special Release series that is bottled only once per year, Pechuga Navideña is a celebratory style of Espadín mezcal that traditionally includes fruits, nuts, spices, and a butchered raw turkey, placed inside the still on the second distillation. Many mezcaleros have family recipes. This special Christmas edition contains mandarinas, small citrus fruits that are less sweet and more acidic than common mandarins available in the U.S., and tejocote, the fruit of the hawthorn tree. These fruits are local to Oaxaca and available for a very short time each year. Other ingredients added to the still on the second distillation include oranges, raisins, apricots, pineapples, apples, bananas, anise and almonds along with a raw turkey that is hung inside the still cap. ABOUT EL JOLGORIO Mezcal forms an important part of rituals, ceremonies, and festivities in villages in our homeland of southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. These celebrations - also known as Jolgorios - always involve mezcal, a drink that spans cultures and bonds families. Fifteen unique El Jolgorio Mezcals are made from different species and varieties of wild-harvested and semi-cultivated agaves by master distillers in remote villages in the Central Valleys region of Oaxaca. Each El Jolgorio label signifies a different agave variety, with each tiny batch released in sequentially numbered editions. Due to the scarcity of wild agaves and a commitment to sustainability, the batches rotate, meaning each new edition might be produced from different regional producers within the tightly-knit collective. Every label bears the name of the distiller, village, age of agave at harvest, and number of bottles, to connect the drinker with the place of origin and the families behind the spirit.