Puntagave "Los Rurales" Distilled Pulque

Puntagave "Los Rurales" Distilled Pulque is a twice-distilled spirit made from fermented aguamiel — the fresh sap harvested from living agave plants — produced by fifth-generation maestro pulquero Rodolfo de Razo at Rancho San Isidro in Tlaxcala, roughly an hour outside Mexico City. Unlike tequila or mezcal, which distill roasted agave hearts, this bottle distills pulque itself, the ancient fermented beverage consumed in central Mexico for thousands of years before Spanish colonization. The process is extraordinarily low-yielding: 100 liters of pulque yield just 10 liters of finished distillate, which emerges from the copper column still at 70% ABV. This is not an agave spirit in the conventional sense — it is a distilled expression of a living fermentation tradition, a category entirely its own. Rancho San Isidro is a collective of over 40 families who produce 3,000 liters of pulque daily. Skilled tlachiqueros hand-harvest the aguamiel twice each day — once in the early morning, once in the late afternoon — drawing the sap directly from the heart of each plant in the field. The fresh aguamiel ferments naturally into pulque, which is then loaded into a copper column still and distilled twice to preserve the delicate, funky complexity of the base fermentation. Rodolfo de Razo has refined this technique over generations, balancing tradition with the precision required to produce a clean, high-proof spirit that still carries the signature character of Tlaxcala pulque. The region's elevation, soil, and rainfall all shape the sap's flavor, and that terroir comes through in the final distillate. The spirit is bracingly clean and intensely aromatic, with a nose that recalls tangy yogurt, green herbs, and wet stone. On the palate it drinks sharp and bright, with a lactic funk that leans savory rather than sweet, finishing with a long, mineral tail. This is not a sipping spirit in the traditional sense — it wants ice, it wants citrus, it wants conversation. Pour it over a single large cube with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt, or split it with sparkling water and fresh grapefruit. It also shines in place of gin or vodka in a Martini variation, where its vegetal brightness plays against dry vermouth. Pair it with ceviche, raw oysters, or fresh queso fresco with salsa verde. Puntagave "Los Rurales" Distilled Pulque is available for pickup at Off Premise Chicago, 1128 W Armitage Ave in Lincoln Park, as well as local Chicago delivery and nationwide shipping.