Sotol Takes a Shot At The American Spirit Market
By Ana Paola Davila Chalita
Move over tequila and mezcal, sotol is the new kid in town.
Commonly stocked in the tequila section of liquor stores, sotol is not the same as tequila. It is a spirit made from the desert spoon plant, a semi-succulent species which grows in dry environments. It is expected to become a “boozy trend” in American bars and restaurants in 2023, the New York Times reported.
“It is gaining a lot of traction,” said Corey McClain, who works at Spec’s Wine, Spirits and Finer Foods, and added that the tequila shortage has helped with the increased popularity of the spirit. People are becoming increasingly aware of the difference between the variety of Mexican agave spirits, he said.
“I used to think sotol was tequila,” Mason Wenzel, a Texas resident, said, “I thought it was called sotol because the denomination of origin prevented brands from calling it tequila.”
Denomination of origin refers to the specific location where a product or item is produced or originates from. It is illegal for a company producing a spirit inside the U.S. to call their product tequila because the name “tequila” can only be used if produced in specific regions of Mexico.
Many countries around the world recognize and respect the Mexican denomination of origin for tequila through international agreements and treaties. The same does not apply for sotol.
Since 2002, sotol produced in Mexico has a denomination of origin and can only be called sotol if it is produced in Coahuila, Chihuahua and Durango. While in the U.S. the term sotol is not protected yet, and can refer to any distilled spirit made anywhere from the desert spoon plant. The U.S. does not recognize Mexico’s denomination of origin for sotol like they do for tequila.
Sotol has a lighter, smokier finish than mezcal, and a more earthy taste than tequila. It has been around for more than 800 years in the north of Mexico, where indigenous tribes used it for religious ceremonies, and it wasn’t until 1994 that it became legal.
Because any distillery producing its own kind of the spirit from the desert spoon plant inside the U.S. gets to call it sotol, it has created some controversy around the spirit’s origin.
One example of this is Desert Door, a Texas-based distillery that produces its own version of sotol. While Desert Door’s sotol is made from the desert spoon plant, it’s not made in one of the three Mexican states where sotol is traditionally produced.
Arty Tan, Desert Door’s chief marketing officer, said their intention was to create an entirely Texan spirit. Sotol has been around in Texas for years before borders dividing the two countries even existed, he said.
Texans produced sotol during the prohibition era, and Desert Door is a version of that spirit, Tan said. “Our intent was never to compete with sotols, say from Chihuahua or Mexico,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Desert Door’s sotol has been well-received in the United States, and its success has also helped raise awareness of sotol as a distinct Mexican spirit, which has been a positive development for the industry.
“Americans love what’s made in Mexico, they love the countryside and its harvest,” Jose Fernandez, the owner of Sotol Cara Blanca, said. Cara Blanca is a sotol made in Chihuahua, Mexico, which was introduced in April 2023, to the Texas market and can be found in certain Spec’s around the Austin area.
For Fernandez, it is easy to imagine the sotol industry being explored by Texans, because the desert spoon plant is grown here, but adds that this would mean Mexican brands are “left behind,” he said.
Some American celebrities and companies can call their spirits “tequila” because they produce them in regions of Mexico where tequila has a denomination of origin. Fernandez believes the same recognition should be given to sotol by only allowing companies to call their spirit sotol if they are producing it inside the three traditional Mexican regions.
He also believes that the American market has responded positively to Cara Blanca because the brand references cattle farming in their branding. That resonates with Texans and makes them identify with it.
Another factor contributing to the popularity of sotol is its versatility. It can be enjoyed neat or mixed in cocktails, and its complex flavor profile makes it an excellent alternative to gin or vodka in cocktails.
Here is a recipe called Red Hot Sotol, which contains jalapeno, lime juice and hibiscus tea. A combination of sweet, sour and spice, which lets the smoky flavor of sotol to come through. Consider spicing it up to a manageable level based on individual preferences.
Bartenders are not the only ones using sotol to shake-up their cocktail game in 2023.
Red Hot Sotol
Servings: 1
Prep time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
- ½ tablespoon of kosher salt
- 1 ½ oz. Sotol
- 4 oz. of cooled hibiscus tea
- ½ oz. lime juice
- ½ teaspoon of grated jalapeño
- 1 cup of ice
Directions:
- Frost a glass rim with lime juice and salt
- Mix the jalapeño and the lime juice in the glass (You can add or subtract as much as you want)
- Add the ice, followed by the sotol and hibiscus tea
- Mix and enjoy
