Made in Mexico: whiskey from Queretaro championing corn farmers in different states

Introducing Bebidas Sabrosas Queretaro: whiskey made in Mexico, supporting local communities in the state.

On our recent trip to the state of Queretaro, we discovered Bebidas Sabrosas, a local company that produces gin, whisky, rum, and wine with a creative touch.

We were greatly surprised with this experience as we did not expect Queretaro to have an activity that is only not entertaining (yep, lots of booze) but also brings us to the rich culture of Mexico.

Welcome to our first Made In Mexico series with an introductory episode about Bebidas Sabrosas Queretaro. Letโ€™s get on to it!

queretaro

โ„น๏ธ Quick info

  • The location of this tour is about 35 minutes away from the city of Queretaro. You can either rent a car or our staff can also arrange a trusted local driver for your tour.
  • There is limited availability for these tours but as a partner of Bebidas Sabrosas Mexico, we can find a private hour for you, especially if you have a group of more than 3 people.
  • The minimum number of participants for this tour is 2 people.
bebidas sabrosas queretaro

โœจ What to expect

Bebidas Sabrosas Queretaro offers many experiences but we only did the whiskey and brandy tour that has a very good lunch included (more on that later).

First, you will get to know their 4 premium whiskey brands in a barn-like setting filled with hay. These whiskeys have different corn flavors sourced from local farmers in different states of Mexico. Here, you will get your first sampling of the whiskeys of Bebidas Sabrosas.

A 4-course lunch will be served in a garden with a vineyard setting. Note that this venue also hosts wine tasting by their in-house wine brand, Barrigon.

After lunch, you will then go to learn the brandy-making process in their factory where they stomp and crush the grapes in a de-stemmer to separate the stems, split open the grapes, and extract the juice for the brandy.

Again, depending on the tour you avail, the experience and expectations will be different. Now letโ€™s talk about how we did ours.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro
Pin this image to Pinterest and save it for your trip to Queretaro!

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๐ŸŒŸ Bebidas Sabrosas Queretaro review

The whiskey expert

We were welcomed by Daniela, the ring leader of this creative endeavor. A true-blue Mexican, Daniela spent a few years in the US to study but is now back in her homeland to champion her rich culture.

Daniela is very outgoing and generous with all the information we needed to know about these Mexican whiskeys that they are putting out there.

Queretaro is mostly flocked by locals (Mexicans or expats) so during our visit, we expected a Spanish tour/explanation. With the time spent in the US, Daniela surprised us by saying she can do a tour in English and she spoke it really well โ€“ even better than us!

As a team of women ourselves at Mexico Insider, we love seeing women like Daniela who pursue her career in a world that society taught us to be a world for men.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro
We hope you get Daniela as a guide when you visit Bebidas Sabrosas. We loved spending time with her and we truly learned a lot about this Mexico that we have not seen.

The whiskey tasting

The area where the whiskey tasting happens will take you to a farm-like setting with a massive structure made of hay and a table at the center.

We were first introduced to the sustainability and ethics of Bebidas Sabrosas: the corn they use in their whiskey flavors is sourced from different farmers in different Mexican states.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro
Bebidas Sabrosas sources their corn in the states of Queretaro, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Yucatan.

The stories were interesting as they work closely with these corn farmers and regularly travel to these states for sourcing their corn. Each bottle has a different story on how they came about but weโ€™ll let the whiskey experts at Bebidas Sabrosas tell them to you when you do the tour.

What you need to know is that every bottle has a detailed (and gorgeous) label that has a photo of the farmer, together with an explanation of the whiskey blend.

Below are the 4 types of whiskeys that we tried:

bebidas sabrosas queretaro

#1: Blue and pink corn whiskey (Queretaro)

  • Farmer: Juan Olvera
  • Tasting notes: raw corn dough, orange peel, vanilla, almonds, cumin, white pepper
  • 42% alcohol
  • 50% blue nugget corn and 50% pink ball corn
  • Irrigated milpa with squash, beans, and broad beans
bebidas sabrosas queretaro

#2: Purple corn whiskey (Nayarit/Dolores Hidalgo)

  • Farmer: Shaker Sayeg
  • Tasting notes: white flowers, orange blossom, white jasmine, dulce de leche, burnt butter, vanilla, caramel, toasted nuts
  • Smell: mint, cardamom, cloves
  • 42% alcohol
bebidas sabrosas queretaro

#3: Black corn whiskey (Guanajuato)

  • Farmer: Jorge Rangel
  • Tasting notes: floral, spicy, corn tortilla, yeast, butter, vanilla, caramel, coconut
  • Cornfields with peanuts and legumes with irrigation from dam and stormwater
  • 42% alcohol
bebidas sabrosas queretaro

#4: Yellow corn whiskey

  • Farmer: William Chan
  • Tasting notes: corn dough, raspberries, orange, tortilla chips, wood, pepper, sesame
  • 42% alcohol

The lunch

After the heavy alcohol tasting and getting to know the rich history of corn in Mexico, we proceeded to the garden for lunch (a moment weโ€™ve all been waiting for since we did not have any breakfast before the tasting).

Every year, they change their chef for a whole season so if you come to Bebidas Sabrosas Queretaro next year and donโ€™t see the same exact menu that weโ€™ve tried, they probably changed the chef and the menu.

Like the corn types, they would also like to integrate all the dishes of Mexico to come together in Queretaro. This way, travelers and locals will get to have a taste of all the different treats of Mexican cuisine.

Rumor has it that for this season, they will hire a chef from Oaxaca for this season (from October 2022) but during our visit, it was the mighty Chef Javier Plascenciaโ€™s splendid menu from the state of Baja California Sur.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro
The star of Javier Plascenciaโ€™s Baja California menu at Bebidas Sabrosas: roasted chocolata clam with dried beef, local butter, and serrano chili. (US$8 / 2 pieces)

As the current head chef is from Baja California Sur, expect an array of seafood dishes such as oysters from Ensenada (US$17 for half a dozen) that you can pair with Garnacha Rose which is available to order at the restaurant.

There are also two different chocolata clam dishes (photo above) which is a pretty common dish in Baja California. Chocolata clams go well with Bebidas Sabrosasโ€™ Barrigon charelo white whine or chardonnay.

Non-seafood lovers can opt for the menu from Central Mexico (Queretaro, Mexico City, Guanajuato, etc) like the steak tartare with cured egg yolk, serrano chili, and crunchy onion rings (US$17).

bebidas sabrosas queretaro

The dish that got our attention the most is the 250 grams grilled beef gizzards accompanied by 200 grams of bone marrow topped with basil chimichurri. This dish got us and we wish they wonโ€™t take it off the menu next season!

There are over 7 vegan and vegetarian dishes and you can also ask for the kidsโ€™ menu if visiting here with children. They really cater to all traveler types!

๐Ÿถ Bebidas Sabrosas brands

Juan del Campo (corn whiskey)

This is the experience that we availed on this trip. The Juan del Campo brand showcases the native creole corn in the different regions of Mexico. Bebidas Sabrosas aims to showcase the characteristics and breeds of every corn in Mexico.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro
The Spanish word for corn is maรญz.

Loro (grape gin)

Queretaro is known for its wine so evidently, it is Mexicoโ€™s land of grapes. Bebidas Sabrosas Loro brand is a one-of-a-kind gin that uses grapes as the base.

The first distillation is macerated with juniper and fresh aromas from their garden. Citrus and aromatic, the Loro grape gin is a tribute to the ingredients that are available to Queretaro by season.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro

La Tesorito (sugarcane rum)

The state of Michoacan is known for its rum processing abilities through the deep cultures of the Purรฉpecha, an indigenous group in the northwestern region of Michoacan.

The first distillation takes place here and then the rum is sent to Bebidas Sabrosas distillery for proper aging in their cellar.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro

Barrigon (wine)

Red, white, and orange wine straight from Bebidas Sabrosas vineyard in Queretaro. The Barrigon brand also started producing natural ciders from apples made in Mexico. These are naturally fermented without the use of chemicals or additives.

bebidas sabrosas queretaro

โœˆ๏ธ Ready for your trip to Queretaro? If you need more information about the Bebidas Sabrosa, weโ€™d be happy to update this post โ€“ just leave your questions below or join our Facebook community where we answer questions without a cost.

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Queretaro Travel Resources

  • โœˆ๏ธ Flights to Queretaro: use the code MXINSIDER to get discounts on flights to Queretaro upon checkout on WayAway.
  • ๐Ÿš— Queretaro Airport Rental Cars: Rent a car and go around Riviera Maya for only US$35 per day (credit card required for car deposit). Check prices at Rental Cars Queretaro.
  • ๐ŸšŒ Queretaro bus transportation: you can also book bus tickets online to get to and from Tulum and around Riviera Maya. BusBud QRO is the best platform to use!
  • ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Queretaro Activities: book things to do in Queretaro like wine tasting, city tours, day trips around the state for as low as US$35. Viator QRO has activities from US$45
  • ๐Ÿงญ Queretaro Local Tours: support our work in Mexico and book local tours with us. Use the code MXINSIDER10 to get a 10% discount on all tours sitewide.
  • ๐Ÿ›๏ธ Queretaro Hostels: traveling on a budget? Or traveling alone? Hostels in Queretaro are affordable and convenient! Dorms in QRO start at US$20 per night. Go check out some deals on Hostelworld QRO.
  • ๐Ÿจ Queretaro Hotels: for those who are not fans of resorts or all-inclusive stays, hotels in Tulum start at US$55 (for 2 pax). Booking.com QRO has many properties youโ€™ll love!
  • โœ… Queretaro City Travel Planner: we have local staff on the ground in QRO who knows the city well. Contact us and we will help you plan your trip for a fixed rate. No hidden fees, just simple charges.
  • ๐Ÿฅ Mexico Travel Insurance: do not travel to Mexico without insurance. Check insurance plans on SafetyWing SafetyWing for as low as US$40 for full travel coverage.
  • ๐Ÿ“ง Queretaro Updates: subscribe to our newsletter and get honest and transparent updates about Mexico City. You will love our monthly news in your inbox! NO SPAM. NEVER.
  • โ˜• Buy us coffee: readers who support Mexico Insider help us continue bringing you the most honest content about Tulum. Consider donating to our coffee fund if you like the content that we do.

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