Chile Pepper Liqueur, 'Pasilla Mixe', Alma Tepec [Strapped]

• Pasilla Mixe [mee•hay] chile pepper liqueur produced by Alma Tepec in Oaxaca, Mexico • Produced from ancestral Pasilla Mixe chiles grown 5,000 feet above sea level in the Mixe region of Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte Mountains • Vine-ripened chiles are harvested and gently smoked for several days with oak or mesquite in ovens made of bamboo and clay • Smoked chiles are macerated in column-distilled sugarcane spirit for 6–12 months • Lightly sweetened with cane sugar • Gentle, but pervasive smoke on an earthy nose of cocoa, dried red berries, and toasted allspice; the Pasilla Mixe chile is highlighted from start to finish along with low-toned notes of dried fruit, clove, and caramel; pleasant chile spice and tannin provide lift • Gold medalist at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition • 40% ABV This is the world’s first liqueur crafted from ancestral Pasilla Mixe chiles—a rare chile prized for its meaty smokiness and approachable, but assertive, heat. Grown and smoke-dried by the indigenous people of Sierra Mixe using traditional methods, each chile is cleaned, inspected, and cut by hand to ensure only the most robust fruit is used. A full-proof, minimally sweetened liqueur that can be used to modify your cocktails, split the base spirit, or replace your base spirit entirely, Alma Tepec ventures beyond the obvious (and delicious) agave and sotol pairings: try it in a Bee’s Knees or a simple Chelada.