Mexico might not be at the forefront of the mind when it comes to thinking of great rum producers. But Mexican rum has a profound, if often overlooked, legacy that lives on today at the hands of traditional distillers. Mexican sugarcane rums are different from Caribbean rums in that they are generally produced using not molasses but fermented sugarcane juice.
There are two prominent styles of this type of spirit in Mexico. The first is charanda, made from either molasses or fresh-pressed sugar cane. This spirit has a protected appellation of origin (AO) , and can only be called charanda if it’s produced in certain parts of Michoacán.
A second style is locally called aguardiente, also known as Mexican agricole. Much of this liquor comes from mountainous areas in Oaxaca, where fresh-pressed aguardiente de caña is made in a manner akin to Martinican rhum agricole and Brazilian cachaça. Sugarcane was first brought to Mexico by the Spanish.
Over the next century, liquor production grew rapidly. Despite its popularity, Mexico’s growing liquor industry was hit by a royal prohibition to protect public morals and the interests of Spanish merchants, driving production underground. Fortunately, as with many alcohol prohibitions around the world, people found a way to keep recipes and traditions alive.
In Mexico, people made rum at home in secret small pot stills. This activity has kept the legacy of rum in Mexico alive. Centuries later, Mexican sugarcane rum hit another hurdle.