Papalome Ixcateco

The papalome agave's fructans are transformed into fermentable sugar by slowly cooking the heart of the maguey in an underground oven covered by palm leaves for three nights. The roasted agave is then milled into smaller pieces first with a machete, then by pounding those pieces with large wooden mallets. The milled agave is placed into rawhide vessels with spring water where natural fermentation takes place.

Distillation takes place on clay pots made in nearby Oaxaca City. The spirit is distilled twice over direct fire and adjusted to proof with colas, or tails.