Alma Tepec

Launched in 2021, Alma Tepec (meaning “mountain soul”) is the first Mexican ancestral chile liqueur crafted from smoke-dried Pasilla Mixe [mee•hay] chiles. Coveted by enthusiasts and chefs worldwide for their intensely smoky and savory flavors, Pasilla Mixe chiles are endemic to Oaxaca, and are rarely found outside of the eastern Sierre Norte region. Alma Tepec transports the unique flavor of these chiles far beyond the borders of Oaxaca and directly into your glass!

Produced in collaboration with the indigenous Mixe people—locally known as Ayüükjä’äy (“people who speak the mountain language”)— Alma Tepec’s conscientious sourcing ensures the sustainable growth and preservation of the Pasilla Mixe chiles according to ancient customs and traditions, while providing an end market for farmers to strengthen local economies. The liqueur is made from fresh Pasilla Mixe chiles that are vine-ripened until they turn a deep red, almost black. Once harvested, the chiles are smoke-dried for several days using either mesquite or oak in ovens composed of clay and bamboo. This process usually occurs just a few days a year at the beginning of the rainy season, before landslides destroy the roads throughout the Sierra Norte, preventing access to the fields and villages.

Once smoked, each chile is cleaned, inspected, and cut by hand to ensure only the most robust fruit is used. The chiles are then macerated in a neutral sugarcane distillate for 6–12 months, which is then lightly sweetened with cane sugar. Alma Tepec’s Pasilla Mixe liqueur is made by a team of Maestra Licoreras, a workforce comprised entirely of Oaxacan women who make, blend, bottle, and label each bottle. The final spirit is a revelation—familiar yet different, spicy and bold yet integrated and refreshing—a tool for creators, immediately inspiring new depths of flavor in everything from cocktails to cuisine (we dare you to pair it with Oaxacan chocolate)!