Bartenders and spirits connoisseurs are always looking for “the new new thing,” talking about what’s hot or up and coming in what’s getting on the radar of mixologists and sippers. You never really know what’s hot (and what’s lasting) until the lagging sales numbers come in, but I’m guessing raicilla might be the next one to take off from Mexico.

raicilla mexican spirit - tersa

Raicilla comes from the state of Jalisco, just like tequila, but is far less famous. It has more in common than not, with origins in a type of agave just like tequila or mezcal. It has a unique flavor profile of its own though, characterized by a tangy citrus element that goes beyond what comes through in its agave cousins.

I first tried this via the Venenosa brand at a Jalisco Tourism event in the USA many years ago and then had it again at the Four Seasons Punta Mita and wrote this post on four Mexican spirits that are not famous. One of those I don’t care if I ever try again, Sotol can be wildly inconsistent, and I’ve written about charanda from Michoacan at that link. Which leaves raicilla, a spirit that has plenty of room to run.

Raicilla History and Styles

Just as there are really two versions of tequila—lowland and highland—there are also two versions of raicilla. There’s a coastal style and an inland style. Connoisseurs say that the complex flavors are largely influenced by the terroir where it is cultivated and experienced sippers can easily tell the two versions apart. In general, the highland version is lighter, more floral, and has more complexity. Part of this difference is enhanced by the preparation, which is also more heavy-handed in the coastal areas.

Like a lot of Mexican spirits, raicilla went underground during the Spanish colonial period when the Europeans tried to push their own products and heavily taxed local ones. (An odd twist that still exists today with Mexican wine for some reason, making it more expensive than Chilean or Argentine versions shipped from thousands of miles away.) Because of this, raicilla became a farmer’s drink enjoyed in the home and at festivals, rarely sold commercially in stores.

Venenosa bottleIt was hard to even find a version that wasn’t in recycled plastic jugs at the beginning of this century. The spirit does now have a protected Denomination of Origin though, which means you can’t make an agave spirit in some random place outside of Jalisco or Nayarit and still call it raicilla.

This DoM puts conditions on what kind of agave plant can be used, how it can be produced, and where. While only Weber blue agave can be used to make tequila, raicilla is more flexible, like mezcal, which can lead to more variety.

Today, it is increasingly celebrated as a traditional Mexican spirit with its own unique characteristics and nuances.

Raicilla Tasting Notes

Raicilla can range from floral and fruity to smoky and earthy depending on a lot of different terroir factors and the production method. The type of still used further influences the spirit’s taste, with clay providing a more earthy finish, while steel results in a cleaner, more refined profile. Some producers use the mezcal method of smoking the agave fruit in a pit, while others use ovens and get something more refined.

The defining characteristic that shines through is that additional tanginess that you don’t get with the other agave spirits.

The version of Raicilla I tasted at the Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort was by Divisadero, located off a country road between Mismaloya and Yalapa, south of Puerto Vallarta. A coastal version indeed. I didn’t exactly love it, partly because I’m not really a fan of spirits that taste like smoke unless they’re in a well-made cocktail. If you’re going to drink smoke straight, it might as well be mezcal or Scotch, so I couldn’t get too excited about this brand.

Divisidero blanco

That was just the blanco version that I tried, however, which is often the worst one to drink neat with tequila as well. I think I’d like that version a lot more if I tried it in one of the cocktail recipes they have featured on their website.

While back in Nayarit recently, however, I got to try a blanco, reposado, and añejo version of Tersa raicilla from the Jalisco highlands and this was a whole different story. I was ready to go buy bottles for home after the first sip. I don’t know how easy it would be to find though: they don’t even have a web page, just a Facebook account, and their contact email is a free gmail address. Their Instagram account with a few followers links to their Amazon purchase page.

Hopefully they’ll survive  and eventually secure wider distribution because I liked what I tasted.

The uniqueness of this spirit comes through in the nose before you even sip, an assertive citrus overtone that combines with the alcohol vapors to leave a little sting in your nose. Then there’s a rush of flavors going across your tongue when you sip it, a mix of sweet and sour tastes that you’d normally need a margarita to combine. With raicilla they’re inherent in the spirit itself.

Just as that cocktail made from another spirit gets sweeter after the salted rim hit has passed, so is the case with the progression of an aged raicilla as you’re sipping it. At first you get the tangy citrus punch, then the finish is sweet and more agave-like.

The reposado version I tried was just a little smoother, a bit more refined. Then even the añejo version retained that distinctive tang. Yes, the version that’s aged the most has a darker color, a more complicated nose, and an essence of maturity, but it doesn’t taste anything like any other barrel spirit you’ve had. There’s a pleasant tartness that hasn’t been worn down or overpowered by the oak.

Like I said though, this experience can vary a lot by brand and place of origin, so ideally try a few while you’re in Jalisco or Nayarit and if you find one you like, buy it then and there as you might not see it anywhere again.

Raicilla Brands to Look For

La Venenosa is the pioneer brand of this spirit, the first one to really bottle it up and get people to take it seriously as something worth stocking at the bar. They’re still one of the most popular brands and it’s generally easier to find than the others. It was the first to export to the United States.

Venenosa has a variety of different versions with varying levels of aging, agave type, and alcohol. Two of them go for more than $100 if you want to get fancy.

The Divisadero brand I tried is making inroads and you’ll find it at the bar of some of the high-end hotels in Jalisco and Nayarit. If you’re trying to find Raicilla in the USA, it gets tougher, then even more difficult again in Canada or Europe.

This will not last, I’m sure, just as it didn’t when you were lucky to find a single brand of mezcal in an American liquor store. Now there are U.S. mezcal bars with 100 brands. For now, look for these brands on U.S. shelves or in high-end Mexican restaurants with a good spirits selection:

Balam Raicilla – With a colorful Huichol jaguar head on the white label, this one is easy to spot. Available in blanco and añejo versions.

raicilla spirit from Jalisco and NayaritManik – best known for its rectangular tequila bottles with a punched metal label that the blind would be able to pick out by feel, Manik also makes a blanco raicilla that won a silver at the prestigious San Francisco Spirits Tasting Competition. See their website here.

Estancia Raicilla – There’s nothing routine about this version made with maximiliana agave, roasted in a big adobe oven, then fermented in three kinds of vessels. One of those is the kind of giant clay pots they still use to make wine in the country of Georgia and a few other spots around the world.

Have you tried raicilla yet, either neat or in a cocktail? What did you think?