Harvest Meets Celebration

Harvest season is celebrated in many ways throughout the world. Although Oaxaca doesn't have a specific "harvest festival," the abundant autumn crops are celebrated during Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos). Piles of vibrant, aromatic flowers and fruits spill from altars (ofrendas), while mezcaleros make ‘pechuga,’ a celebratory drink using many of the same elements decorating the altar.

In Spanish, “pechuga” translates to “breast.” The literal meaning seems clear, i.e. a chicken breast. Some perceive this to carry a double meaning, where the ‘breast’ is a place for the heart and emotions. Some mezcaleros also describe a sacrificial quality to the ritual of killing the bird (or animal) to use in the celebratory pechuga, hanging the remnants of the breast bone in the family altar room during Diá de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

The recipe for a pechuga, subsequent flavor and experience of drinking it can also be emotive. Each tasting note reflects a choice of ingredient made by the mezcalero and their family. It is an expression of their style, taste, and even history, with the tradition of taking elements from the Muertos altar.

From Family Secrets to Evolving Recipes

The history of pechuga goes back at least a century with closely guarded family recipes. But the origins are a little hazy. Most of what is known has been passed down through oral traditions and generational practices.

In 1910, historian Manuel Martinez Gracida documented the tradition of pechuga in his local community of Ejutla, Oaxaca. He wrote that: “to obtain the ‘pechuga’ mezcal… the pot…is filled with common mezcal, and immediately a leg of lamb or a chicken is added – quartered – as well as a long plantain, raisins, almonds, sugar, and sometimes pineapple and a little anise.”

Today most pechugas are made by taking twice-distilled mezcal (a finished spirit), and redistilling this with a protein suspended in the montera (top of the alembic still), with fruits, and spices added into the liquid below. The alcohol’s vapors pass around the raw protein, capturing some of the extra oils from the additional ingredients in the pot, as though it were a filter.

What Gracida refers to is adding elements to the shishe (ordinario) with all the ingredients thrown in together! This goes to show how varied and evolving these traditional recipes can be.

Master Mezcalero Carlos Blas, founder of Palomo mezcal explains how every mezcal family has their own history behind their pechuga mezcal. “In my experience, it is inspired by celebrations, especially weddings, but also a traditional way to reduce the waste of ofrendas after Day of the Dead.”

In recent years there have been numerous pechugas that have pushed the boundaries of tradition, with unconventional ingredients and proteins. Even the notion of a vegan, “pechuga” without the pechuga, what is currently being called ‘destilado con’.

Cempasuchil and the Spirit of Celebration

In the last couple of years a significant trend has been ‘destilado con cempasuchil.’ Cempasuchil is the Nahuatl name for marigold, Oaxaca’s most vibrant crop, harvested for Day of the Dead. These flowers pack the fields around Oaxaca City, waiting for the Muertos festivities. Often, petals will be scattered between the cemetery and their house, a shimmering orange path that guides the soul home. These spirits are welcomed by raising a mezcal in their honor.

Mezcal plays a role in most (if not all) Oaxacan celebrations and rituals, including the Day of the Dead. The spirit is used to honor the deceased, placed alongside flowers, photos, and favorite foods. These elements are evocative, helping people reconnect with their deceased loved ones. And they are used to entice ancestors back to this earthly realm for the celebrations.

Between Worlds

Mezcal is seen as a connection between the material and spiritual realms, so ingrained in Oaxacan culture that people believe it is even consumed after death.

The cover image was structured with the help of artificial intelligence (Midjourney) and manually edited. All content is based on human input and editorial oversight. For more details on how PKGD integrates AI responsibly, please see our AI Policy.

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