Mezcal, Pechuga De Codorniz (Quail), Rey Campero

• Pechuga mezcal produced in Candelaria Yegolé, Zoquitlán, Oaxaca • Maestro Mezcalero Vicente Sánchez Parada • Made from 100% Espadín (A. angustifolia) • Cooked in a traditional earthen pit oven • Milled using a traditional stone tahona  • Open-air, spontaneously fermented in pine and cypress vats (tinas) using river water • Distilled twice using copper pot stills  • Grilled pineapple, banana, corn cobs, and about 25 breasts of quail (codorniz) are added to the still on the second pass • Green apple, dark cherry, Craisins, peppermint, walnut skin, corn husks, saline, cacao, cracked black peppercorn, damp earth • 48.8% ABV (alcohol may vary from batch to batch) From one of Oaxaca’s foremost mezcal producing families, this pechuga simultaneously nods respectfully at generations of heritage and plays with the boundaries and limitations inherent in those traditions. Maestro mezcalero Vicente Sánchez Parada distills the batch twice, adding grilled pineapple, banana, corn cobs, and about twenty-five breasts of quail (codorniz) to the still on the second pass. This method contrasts with many commercial pechugas exported to the US, which are often made by redistilling finished mezcal a third time with ingredients added to, or suspended in, the still. Vicente’s concentrated, intentional pechuga is particularly bright, with fruit-forward aromatics of cherry and green apple, followed by a rich, mouth-coating palate full of oily texture and a dense, savory finish. It’s been a few years since we saw a batch of pechuga from the Sánchez Parada family! It’s a relief to see this batch return—grab it while you can!