MUCHO RICO MEZCAL
A TRADITIONAL AND INDEPENDENT MEZCAL BRAND, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, PROMOTING THE PRESERVATION OF ARTISANAL AND ANCESTRAL CULTURE.
A TRADITIONAL AND INDEPENDENT MEZCAL BRAND, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, PROMOTING THE PRESERVATION OF ARTISANAL AND ANCESTRAL CULTURE.
Naturally refined
Axaxacualco, Guerrero and San Miguel Piedras, Oaxaca, where Mucho Rico is cultivated and produced, are recognized mezcal communities. Mezcal is part of their culture and identity.
To protect the tradition of the mezcal and the quality of our products, Mucho Rico respects and preserves traditional production techniques: ancestral and artisanal. This distinguishes us from industrial mezcals that alter processes to speed up production and meet demand.
Mucho Rico is harvested only during the dry season, when the agave plant concentrates more sugars, and to promote proper fermentation in hot weather.
Family and friends from the community participate in the mezcal production process.
The Maestro Emilio Isidro learned the tradition of mezcal from his father, Severiano Isidro. Maestro Leandro Curiel learned from his father, Carlos Curiel. Now they share this beautiful tradition with their children and grandchildren. Empirical trans-generational learning is an identifying element of the producing communities.
Agave Angustifolia or Maguey Espadín, is the main agave in the state of Oaxaca. Agave Cupreata or Maguey Papalote is an endemic species of the state of Guerrero.
Only mezcals between 43% and 55% ABV (alcohol by volume) make pearls. “If the mezcal doesn´t make pearls, then it´s really not mezcal”. − Maestro Emilio Isidro.
The agave used by Mucho Rico is wild, semi-cultivated y cultivated.
Agave angustifolia takes between 6 and 8 years to mature or ripen, while agave cupreata takes between 7 and 13 years.
The primary tool of a jimador is the coa de jima, or simple coa, a flat-bladed knife at the end of a long pole that resembles a hoe. The jimador uses it to cut the agave stalk (quiote) so that the carbohydrates (sugars) remain in the plant instead of going to the flower. Then, the agave leaves are trimmed/cut-off using the same tool.
The hearts (piñas) are cooked with wood and stone in a conical earthen oven for 3 to 5 days. The oven is sealed with palm leaves to prevent soil from entering and steam from escaping . Since pre-Hispanic Mexico, our ancestors discovered these properties in agaves, and the tradition is preserved to this day.
The cooked agave is left to cool outside the oven for 24 hours to settle the sugar and ensure the highest quality in flavor.
Initially, the hearts (piñas) are manually chopped with an ax. In the ancestral process, milling is then done with a wooden mallet in a wooden canoe, a technique used since the colonial period; while in the artisanal process, milling is done with a crusher.
In contrast to industrial processes, Mucho Rico is fermented 100% naturally, without controlled environments or temperatures, so depending on weather conditions, the process can last between 7 and 12 days. The warmer it is, the better the yeast works. This ensures consistent quality but allows for variations in flavors between different batches of the same product.
Boiling allows alcohol to separate from the fermented agave. The still is sealed with soil to prevent steam from escaping. Ancestral mezcal is distilled in a clay pot, and artisanal in a copper still. These instuments have been used for centuries, thanks to cultural exchange with Filipinos who came to America from the Manila Galleon. Here is where more than 80% of mezcal´s aromas and flavors are generated.
In Mucho Rico, the health and safety of our work team and consumers are our priority. Care in each bottling process allows us to guarantee the quality of our products.
Originally from San Miguel Piedras, Oaxaca, Leandro speaks Mixtec and Spanish. He learned to make mezcal at the age of 13 from his father, Carlos Curiel, who taught him how to harvest wild agave in the Sierra Mixteca (Mixtec mountains) and to plant his own crops. Today, Leandro shares this tradition with his family and friends in the community he inhabits, teaching future maestros who will preserve the culture of mezcal.
Originally from Axaxacualco, Guerrero, Emilio learned to make mezcal at the age of 10 from his father, Severiano Isidro. He taught him how to harvest mature, ripe agave from the Sierra de Guerrero (Guerrero mountains), in the Balsas - Mezcala region. Currently, family and friends from the mezcal community are involved in the production process, and Emilio´s family is exclusively dedicated to the agave cultivation and artisanal mezcal production.
Ingredients
- 60 ml. (2 oz.) of Mucho Rico mezcal
- 30 ml. (1 oz.) of fresh lime juice
- 15 ml. (0.5 oz) agave syrup
- A pinch of salt
- 10 drops orange bitter
- 10 drops grapefruit bitters
- Mineral water
- Fresh lime
Instructions
1. Combine ingredients in a large glass.
2. Add ice and mix until chilled.
3. Fill with cold mineral water, to taste.
4. Garnish with a lime twist.
Ingredients
- 60 ml. (2 oz.) of Mucho Rico mezcal
- 30 ml. (1 oz.) fresh lime juice
- 30 ml. (1 oz.) agave syrup
- Pineapple pulp, chunks or puree
- Tropical basil leaves, fresh mint, or garden spearmint to taste
- Chili powder, seasoned salt to taste
Instructions
1. Place ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
2. Use fine mesh strainer to filter and pour into small rocks glass over ice.
3. Garnish with fruit slice.
Ingredients
- 60 ml. (2 oz) of mezcal Mucho Rico
- 15 ml. (0.5 oz.) fresh lime juice
- 15 ml. (0.5 oz.) fresh tangerine juice
- 15 ml. (0.5 oz.) fresh grapefruit juice
- 15 ml. de jugo de toronja natural
- Cold tonic water
- Agave syrup
- Smoked, seasoned, or seasalt to taste
Instructions
1. Chill a large glass, rim it with agave syrup and your preferred salt.
2. Add Mucho Rico, ice, and pour in the juices.
3. Top off with cold tonic water and stir very gently.
Ingredients
- 30 ml. (1 oz.) of Mucho Rico mezcal
- 30 ml. (1 oz.) cold coffee liquor
- 20 drops of orange bitters
- Orange peel
- Ice
Instructions
1. Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, stir with ice until chilled and diluted to taste.
2. Pour into small rocks glass over ice.
Opiional
- Express orange oils over the drink, rub the rim of the glass with the peel, twist, flame, and drop it into the cocktail
The current environmental crisis, a product of uncontrolled urbanization and the industrial impact from excessive use of fossil fuels, deforestation, and overexploitation of natural resources, has led to water scarcity, forest fires, (air, water, soil) pollution, and displacement of natural species. Mezcal culture has felt its impact at different points in time, when soil and agave overexploitation have led the maguey scarcity, mezcal shortages, and endangered some agave varities. In response to this, at Mucho Rico, we reaffirm our commitment to take care of our planet and the communities from where we came from.
Sustainability is intrinsic to our work culture and constantly challenges us since the beginning of our journey.
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