Food - Drink
Meet Bacanora, The Middle Man Of Tequila And Mezcal
By AUTUMN SWIERS
Bacanora is a Mexican liquor that's gaining popularity. Technically, it’s a type of mezcal, but in terms of flavor, bacanora is considered to be halfway between tequila and mezcal.
Like tequila and mezcal, bacanora is made with agave, specifically wild Pacifica agave. The agave is roasted before distillation, resulting in a distinctly smoky spirit.
Bacanora originated 300 years ago in Sonora, and though it was outlawed from 1915 to 1992, bootleggers kept traditional production methods alive, which are still used today.
The spirit is made in small batches with six- to eight-year-old wild agave that is hand-foraged. The agave is roasted, manually ground into a pulp, fermented, and distilled twice.
The resulting spirit has a 40%-50% ABV and a slightly smoky flavor with an earthy, mineral-forward, vegetal taste, and notes of coffee, leather, and even tangy ocean winds.
Most bacanoras range from $45 to $650, and they can be found in liquor stores in the tequila-mezcal section or online. It can be enjoyed neat, as a shot, or in cocktails.