Sotol is the Mexican drink you’ll want this year
Tequila, move over. Or muévete, as they would probably say in Mexico. This year, we’re all going for sotol. The alcoholic tipple spent a long time in the shadow of its big brother — tequila, that is — but now it’s increasingly stepping into the (Mexican) sunshine. What is this magically delicious drink?
Sotol is made from the wild sotol plant. It grows not only in Mexico, but also in American border states. So in Texas, you might just come across sotol plants too. Sotol plants look rather… unusual. At the bottom of the plant grows a kind of little ball of green dune grass. You know, those wiry plants that wave in the wind. From the centre grows a long, spiky plant. It looks a little like an elongated spoon. It’s not called dessert spoon for nothing.
Agave
Sotol is an agave. That’s a plant species once worshipped by the Aztecs; they saw agave as an essential source of food and medicine. Following that logic, sotol suddenly becomes medicine. At the very least, it gives you a pleasantly numbed feeling.
Types of sotol
So what happens to the plant? Sotol is made by roasting the plant in ovens for several days. It is then crushed and mixed with the plant’s juices. This mixture is poured into barrels and placed outdoors, where it is left to ferment. The sotol is then distilled. Ready to be sold as an alcoholic treat.
There are 3 ‘versions’ of sotol, by the way: plata, reposado and añejo. Plata is an unaged version that goes straight from distillation to bottling. Reposado is a type of sotol that is stored in different barrels, including oak. Añejo, finally, is the oldest sotol variety. It is at least one year old, but some varieties are even 5 years old or more.
Herbal and clear
You probably know the taste of tequila: sharp and earthy. You may also have tried mezcal — another of sotol’s siblings. It tastes soft and smoky. And sotol? It tastes different again from its boozy relatives. Sotol is clear, grassy, herbal and lightly smoky. And velvety smooth. It’s truly a drink you’ll want to sip patiently. It’s also most popular neat. Another delicious option: a Sotol Paloma cocktail.
What should you eat with it? If you have a young, light and fresh sotol, it’s delicious with fish and seafood dishes (such as ceviche) and salads. Older and fuller-bodied sotols pair particularly well with meat, stews and chilis. Perfect for a truly Mexican evening.
Mark my words: sotol is going to be this year’s drink. They already know it in Mexico, and we’ll soon find out too. Tequila is so 2023. We want sotol!
Also read:
- 7 Mexican dishes they don’t eat in Mexico at all
- The best Mexican restaurants in Amsterdam
- So this is what that sombrero cap on the tequila bottle is for!
Source: finedininglovers.com
