Mezcal de Pechuga: It’s a Meaty Mystery

American drinkers have become familiar with mezcal, at least in name—and in its relationship to tequila, another agave spirit distilled in Mexico that falls under mezcal’s umbrella. Yet they’re still largely unaware of one of its most interesting subcategories: mezcal de pechuga.

While articles discussing this unusual spirit have popped up sporadically over the past decade or so, most liquor stores typically don’t stock it. There’s no mystery as to why: Productions of mezcal de pechuga tend to be small, and bottles—when they make it to the United States—tend to be expensive, sitting on the shelf somewhere between $100 and $300.

The Meat of It

Why is mezcal de pechuga so beguiling? At least in part, it’s the sheer oddity. Pechuga translates to breast, referring most often to chicken breast. In this case, it’s not just an amusing figure of speech. To make mezcal de pechuga, distillers suspend the raw protein—usually chicken or turkey—inside the still, above the liquid, during a second or third distillation.