Issue #8: Fourth Of July Look at the newest Mexican Beverage
Will Tepache overtake Mezcal in popularity within the U.S.?
Happy holiday weekend! It’s a long holiday weekend, so we’re shortening the newsletter and forgoing an official interview.
Instead, I break down the history of a cool Mexican drink making a resurgence and provide some great links for any downtime you might have this weekend.
Plus, we’ve got some weekend sipper suggestions!
Pineapple drink coming in hot
Mexico is the source of two extremely hot spirits in the modern American drinking culture: tequila and mezcal.
As mezcal’s resurgence shows, a history of spirits south of the border is ready to be explored. And next up could be another Mexican beverage called Tepache. A fermented drink made from tropical fruit, it dates back to the Aztecs.
“Everyone in Mexico knows Tepache, and the different local expressions always come with a sense of community and pride,” Tepache Sazón managing director Rio Chenery said. “It’s really the ‘newest’ old Mexican beverage.”
Like mezcal, it’s made by producers small and large across Mexico. There is no official recipe, but home cooks to chefs play with various fruits, herbs and botanicals to come up with their Tepache.
Now, Tepache Sazón is helping spread the word about the ancient beverage in the U.S. It’s made in San Pancho, Mexico, from pineapples, raw cane sugar and canela, a Mexican cinnamon.
“San Pancho, it’s very small, around 2,000 people,” Sebastian Medina, Tepache Sazón head of operations and senior tepachero, said. “We’re in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by flora and fauna and traditional Mexican culture. It was important for us to make a delicious product, but also a natural one at every step that really pays homage to the traditions and flavors of this diverse and special place.”
The brand, which full disclosure I have not sampled yet, suggests drinking straight from the bottle, over ice or in a cocktail, like a Michelada. (It is, at the moment, only available in AZ, CA, CT, FL, HI, IL, MA, NY, NJ, OH, RI, TX and WA.)
“Unlike other summer drinks that can leave you feeling sluggish and lethargic, Tepache Sazón is bursting with a zingy tartness, courtesy of the tropical fruit, and subtle hints of spice and toasted caramel,” a brand representative said. “With these bright notes and a sparkling fizz, this drink captures the true essence of the lively summer season.”
Light Reading
Bon Appetit highlighted 11 new bars showcasing the “boom times for bar lovers.” No surprise it features spots in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Still, there are a few fun highlights like Wild Child in Shawnee, Kansas, which includes a significant zero-alcohol menu.
Building off that, Bon Appetit also broke down “The 8 Trends Defining Bars in 2024.” According to the publication, milk punches are huge as are savory cocktails and pepper cocktails. Likewise, as Wild Child showcases, mocktails: “We’re living in the golden age of nonalcoholic cocktails.”
Boxed wine is good now? Apparently. I’ve sampled the Juliet Pinot Noir highlighted in the feature photo, and as a pinot lover, I enjoyed it. I haven’t tried the Hérisson AOP Coteaux Bourguignons… but I love it already because who doesn’t love a hedgehog?
Literary Libations
Alyssa is taking the weekend off… so here’s a fun upcoming article to keep an eye out for. The NY Times is set to release a new feature: The 100 best books from the last 24 years starting Monday.