In Yucatán, drinks of great tradition are consumed that surprise visitors and locals, either because of their ingredients (honey, flowers, corn), the recipe and technique used for their preparation or because of their unique flavor. The Xtabentún liquor, henequén liquor, balché and pox stand out, mainly. To get to know them, we prepared a guide that will help you identify each one... we are sure that you will want to try them all.
Xtabentún
(Morning Flower or Mayab Flower)
This ancient Mayan drink was used in ceremonies in Yucatán and its evolution has allowed it to be widely known in the Peninsula as a liquor with a strong aroma and a flavor that pairs perfectly with the intensity of flavors of regional food. It is made with fermented honey from the melipona bees of Yucatán, anise and rum. It is distilled naturally and can be combined in cocktails, or served alone, cold, or with coffee. The Xtabentún liquor is part of one of the best-known legends in Yucatán... that of La Xtabay.
If you visit Yucatán you have to try it as a digestif after a meal, bring a bottle to enjoy upon your return or as a gift to someone you appreciate. You can find it from Yucatecan brands such as D'Aristi and Argáez in 500 ml and 750 ml bottles, as well as in special editions.
Read about A New Generation of Yucatecan Liqueur
Henequén Liquor
Made from henequén, a plant that has made Yucatán famous, it is a liquor with a flavor similar to mezcal but with a unique touch that makes it very particular. It is extracted from the fermentation and distillation of the ripe pineapples of the Fourcroydes Agave (name of the henequén plant), where a liquor with a dry but very pleasant flavor is obtained, which concludes the process by aging in white oak barrels.
It is a unique drink that you can find in several versions, alone or in a mixture with nance, mandarin and lime that is made in the entity with export quality by the KUUCH brand.
Balché
This alcoholic drink is common among Mayan cultures throughout the southeast region. In the case of Yucatán it is used in ceremonies and rituals as an offering to the gods, for example in the Janal Pixan ceremonies, and even with medicinal properties for various diseases.
It is made from the fermentation of the bark of the tree of the same name, along with melipona honey, cinnamon, anise and water. This preparation is boiled for several hours and left to rest for days until a sweet and quite intense flavor is obtained. It is served in “lek” or gourds. Its consumption is intended for ceremonies and its preparation is artisanal in the communities of Yucatán.
Pox
“Pox” (aguardiente) is the traditional drink of the indigenous Mayan communities of the Highlands of Chiapas. This distillate, made in Yucatán from corn, is considered a sacred element that is used in mystical ceremonies and as a symbol of brotherhood. As Julio de la Cruz, owner of La Poshería (Paseo de Montejo #486 on 41 and 43), tells us, each sip of this liquor is an experience, it brings joy, heals the body and comforts the spirit. Its flavor is intense, similar to mezcal or tequila and can be served cold, pure or in cocktails, although the ideal is to try it in a traditional way, alone.
For its preparation, organic corn and water are used, in a traditional process that Julio has rescued and preserved from an ancestral recipe. If you want to live the pox experience, don't miss going to La Poshería, which started in 2010 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas and opened in Mérida in 2015 offering this drink under the brand Pox Bankilal (in Tsotsil it means “guardian and protector”) . There you can taste the products and find traditional and flavored pox: cocoa, coffee, coconut and vanilla.
Did you fancy any? Be sure to try it, take it as a souvenir or as a gift. Share your photo with us tasting your glass of pox, Xtabentún or henequén liquor.
First published in Yucatán Today print and digital magazine no. 360, in December 2017.
Last updated in January 2024.
