Day 2: Two Indigo Pechuga Doves
While some Turtle Doves live year-round in Mexico, many migrate there for the winter. In Canada, the bird is embraced for its global persona as a cultural symbol of devoted love. Those that are perennial below the Rio Grande used to have a good reason. Mexico is the land of blue agave, the plant used to distil tequila. Well, guess what turtle doves? Canada now has two Mexico inspired spirits worth asking for from Papá Noel.
Bruinwood Estate Distillery – Pechuga Espiritu (46%)
Jeff Barringer and Danise Lofstrom search the globe looking for spirits they can make in their Roberts Creek British Columbia distillery. One of these is a Pechuga modelled after Mexico’s Mezcal de Pechuga. In Mexico, the spirit is made by re-distilling mezcal with fruits, grains, nuts and raw chicken suspended above the still’s vapours.
“I stumbled across the idea and thought it was rather radical, plus I could see a trend happening. It being so unusual, I like to shock the audience a little bit,” says Barringer. Bruinwood substitutes their workhorse vodka for mezcal – a base in many of their spirits. To make pechuga, Barringer fills his gin basket with garlic, peppers, corn, rice, paprika, sage, mangos and chicken breasts. As the hot alcoholic fumes rummage past the chicken, they pick up collagens that give the spirit a decadent buttery mouthfeel.
Bruinwood Pechuga coats the glass and has a nose rich in fresh garlic and hints of paprika smokiness. Barringer uses the spice to mimic mezcal’s inherit smoked flavour, “When people smell it, they are either going to be right into it or recoil in horror,” laughs Barringer. On the palate, the garlic dissipates to a whisper while the other steeped herbal flavours blend into the savoury mix, creating a distinctive and delicious spirit with a creamy, heavenly texture. Enjoy it with fresh lime or in a low-spice Caesar, allowing the pechuga’s flavour to do the heavy lifting.
375 ml $48
Sperling Silver Distillery – Indigo (38%)
In Regina, Saskatchewan, the Sperling Silver Distillery distils a spirit they call Indigo, from 100% blue agave. They double distil organic blue agave nectar, then freeze filter it. It’s a technique that involves freezing the spirit to minus 20 degrees Celcius for two days before filtering.
Indigo’s nose is clean and refined with a sweet footing. On the palate, the spirit is slightly fruity with marshmallow and pepper tones and a silver-tongued finish that is cultured and polished. Indigo is bottled at 38%, making it just the spirit for a December margarita. And for anyone about to get into a huff about this spirit’s proximity to tequila’s sacred traditions, the label clearly states, “Not Made In Mexico, Not Called Tequila”. Batches of Indigo sell out quickly so check the Sperling Silver online shop regularly.
Join us tomorrow for Day 3: Absinthe suggestions. Or, if you’d rather figure it out on your own, there are many more spirits to be found in our book The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries – a gift suggestion in itself and one that’s worth its weight in five gold rings.