Mexico is famous for its alcoholic drinks. Tequila and mezcal are known throughout the world and are strongly associated with Mexico. However, there are also drinks that few people have heard of. However, they are very popular in some regions of Mexico and can also be considered a treasure of the country. Some of them are becoming more and more famous and entering world markets.
Charanda
Charanda — local rum produced using original technology.
Sugar cane production in the state of Michoacan has a long history. The cane here grows from personal quality. Based on the processes of fermentation and distillation of cane juice, one of the regional drinks Mexico — charanda.
Charanda comes from the Uruapan region. It is a colorless cane alcohol with a sweetish aftertaste similar to vanilla. It received its name in honor of Mount Charanda, which in Purepecha languages is translated as «colored land». The region's first plant for the distillation of fermented cane juice was also built here.
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From the first mention of this alcoholic drink back in the 16th century, its industrial production barely dates back a hundred years. These days, Charanda has its own label with a certificate of origin, making the Michoacan fields the official birthplace of this “Mexican rum.”
Ambassador (Posol)
There is a saying: “Whoever knows the ambassador will never return to where he came from, and will remain here forever.” The fertile lands of the states of Chiapas and Tabasco, generous with corn and cocoa harvests, became the birthplace of this exquisite, purely Mexican drink, one of the most traditional in the southeast of the state.
Since the pre-Hispanic era, Indians from the Mayan tribe - Chontal, borrowed the word «pozoll» from the Aztecs, turning it into «pochfroml». This is what they called the drink, which was consumed daily, simultaneously quenching thirst and reducing hunger. The drink, which was prepared exclusively by women, served as provisions for travelers, who could use it on the road both as food and drink, and endure the heat, causing thirst, and be strengthened by the nutrients contained in it.
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The drink, made from corn dough, is seasoned with salt and pepper and served in a cup made from half a calabash fruit, called jicara in Mexico. There are two main types of salting - with cocoa and white, or sour. In some regions, pixtle (sapfrost seeds) can be added to the ambassador.
Table (Sotol)
Table, or sereke — a plant from the agave family, similar to yucca. Grows in the deserts of Chihuahua. From its core, the Tarahumara and Anasazi Indians produced for at least 800 years a variety of mezcal with a strong, sweetish taste that is still internationally famous today.
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For centuries, fromol was consumed by the Indians during ritual ceremonies, and in addition as a medicinal remedy. Currently, the table has a registered appeal of origin and is positioned as a traditional drink of the state of Chihuahua, which has managed to win the sympathy of connoisseurs of its exquisite taste.
Tejuino
The drink Tejuino was produced and consumed in pre-Hispanic times, and is already 7 thousand years old. This is confirmed by archaeological research. Tejuino — An ancestral drink, which is a type of beer made from sprouted and then ground corn seeds. The grains were boiled, then strained and fermented. There is also a modern version with the addition of piloncillo cane sugar, which appeared after the Spaniards came to Mexico.
This drink is also popular in the more northern states of Sonora and Coaguila, where it has long been drunk by indigenous peoples. In the western states, tejuino is drunk with lemon, chili piquin and salt, or without additives, and in the states in the east, where it is also known — San Luis Potosi and Puebla - prickly pear fruits and willow bark are added to it.
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Tejuino has a sweet and sour taste and contains a low percentage of alcohol. This refreshing drink has a viscous consistency and brown color, similar to chilled atole, and has been renowned for centuries as the “food of the Huichol gods.”
Stabentun (X’tabentun)
This drink is made from honey from bees, which collect nectar from flowers of the same name. Stabentun is the most famous local drink of the Yucatan Peninsula. Its name is translated from Mayan languages as «a climbing plant growing on stones». This is the vine Turbina corimbosa, the seeds of which have a mild hallucinogenic effect. And the drink itself is a liqueur, which is mixed with anise or mixed with rum, and is usually served separately, or with honey, or can be added to coffee.
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Having tasted this drink, you get a feeling of dizziness, which, according to local residents, is reminiscent of the legend about a beautiful girl named Shtabai, who made men fall in love with her, stupefying their minds.