Why You Should Be Drinking Tepache Cocktails
It only took a few centuries, but tepache, a Mexican pineapple beverage with pre-colonial roots, has now arrived at bars all over the United States. The gently boozy drink ( less than 2% ABV) belongs to a family of ancient Latin American ferments like pulque (made with maguey nectar) and chicha (made with corn) that are brewed in a, let's say, improvised manner. Usually concocted at home and then sold by street vendors in central Mexico, most tepaches don't follow a recipe or a strict set of rules.
“Traditionally, they just use pineapple scraps to make tepache,” explains Wes Mickel, owner of Argus Cidery in Texas, “but there are a hundred different ways to make it.” Usually, the whole pineapple (including the skin, fruit, and core) is combined with water, aromatic spices like cinnamon, and piloncillo (unrefined Mexican brown sugar). After fermenting for several days, the wild yeasts yield a sweet and sour brew with a subtle pungency.
Until recently, buying tepache in the United States meant seeking out under-the-radar homebrews at taquerias and Mexican groceries. Now, however, Argus Cidery and Reverend Nat's Hard Cider in Oregon are bottling commercial versions for regional distribution. Wherever you get it, tepache is nice served over ice, or combined with light Mexican beers for a simple, thirst-quenching buzz at summer cookouts.
At the same time, tepache is arcane and complex enough to impress sophisticated guests at a cocktail party. Rum and tequila are a natural match for tepache, but its malty effervescence also makes it the perfect addition to a variety of drinks. Ambitious bartenders are already combining it with everything from tequila to Kentucky bourbon, and now you can, too—here are 6 tepache recipes from excellent bars across the country.
Alex Lau1/6The Official Drink of Austin (O.D.A.)
“The spices we use in our tepache are super common to Belgian white ales,” explains Justin Elliott, bar manager of Qui in Austin. Spicing the house brew with coriander, grains of paradise, long peppercorn, and cubeb berries inspired Elliott to create this rum-based drink with a tropical vibe. Elliott then combines the tepache with honey syrup and lemon juice. Muddled mint and a sprig of Thai basil enhance the peppery components of the spices used in the tepache. In a city overrun with Mexican martinis, this quirky drink had the right balance of acidic elements to win over Austinites in a citywide cocktail competition—hence its name. It doesn't hurt that it's also ideal for sipping on the patio during sweltering Texas summers. But Elliott still prefers serving tepache with beer. “There’s something pure about it,” he says. “It’s a really beautiful expression of the tepache.”
Alex Lau2/6El Coco
“Tepache is an ingredient that has opened all new doors for spring and summer drinks,” explains Michael Florence, beverage director at ____ Olé Mexican Grill in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In developing the bar’s warm weather cocktail menu, he tried to remove the focus from citrus-driven drinks. Instead, Florence combines tepache with rum, tequila, and mezcal to create a variety of cocktails. This particular cocktail exploits our soft spot for piña coladas while incorporating some unlikely ingredients. “I love this drink because the cold-pressed coconut is just light enough that all of the aromatics and flavors of the tepache still shine,” he explains. Peychaud's bitters and Chartreuse add a touch of color and also emphasizes the star anise used in Florence’s home-brewed tepache. “It adds a wonderful roundness and complexity to the drink,” he says.
Alex Lau3/6Veranda Way
“I felt like doing something with tepache, but rum and tequila were so obvious,” recalls Danny Shapiro, co-owner of Scofflaw in Chicago. Eventually he settled on a cocktail that tempered the fruity pineapple drink with gin and Aperol. “It seemed challenging enough to interest people, but dry enough that they would actually order it,” he says. Not too strong but not too sweet, it's the ideal drink to kick off your Friday night dinner (or bar-hopping) plans. The cocktail becomes slightly spicier as the cinnamon ice melts. (Shapiro prefers Citadelle Gin for this because it contains Sri Lankan cinnamon.) The tepache, purchased in five-gallon batches from a taqueria on the city’s South Side, is also flavored with the spice. “The ingredients sound diverse," he explains, "but when tied together they actually share common traits."
Alex Lau4/6Bourbon & Tepache Cocktail
“The yeast, funk, and maltiness of the tepache seem to naturally call for something stiff and clean to fortify the flavors,” explains Bryan Eichhost, bar manager of Penca in Tucson, Arizona. The restaurant serves a tepache shandy made with beer, as well as this cocktail that uses bourbon as the main liquor. Just like that reliable combination of whiskey and ginger ale, the warm spices used in tepache are often associated with Kentucky bourbons, so its a natural pairing according to Eichhorst. He first learned about tepache while looking through old Mexican cookbooks in search of tastes, ingredients, or flavors that could accompany the restaurant’s central Mexican cuisine. Apparently several customers were already familiar with the pineapple drink but were reticent to try it paired with anything but beer. To those guests, Eichhorst always says, “Try one, and you’ll change your mind!”
Alex Lau5/6Tepache Highball
“Pineapple and agave spirits are a great match already,” explains Houston cocktail star Bobby Heugel, “but the rustic elements of tepache bring out more of the roasted agave quality and green elements of the agave spirit.” At The Pastry War, Heugel and partner Alba Huerta brew their own tepache but never adhere to a strict recipe. "We take a very imprecise approach to the process because that's how it would traditionally be done in Mexico," Heugel says. In fact, the bar specializes in serving small-batch agave spirits made by Mexican families they know personally. This stiff drink, lightly sweetened with agave nectar (of course), could easily replace scotch and soda as your regular nightcap.
Alex Lau6/6Gilded Youth
Daniel Shoemaker, owner of Teardrop Cocktail Lounge in Portland, Oregon, jokes that his tepache recipe “involved a telegram, a donkey, and a tall mountain.” Actually, when one of his barbacks learned that Shoemaker was interested in making the drink, he immediately sent over his grandmother’s recipe. Since then, eight tepache cocktails have appeared on Teardrop's seasonal menus. “We had always treated it as a summer beverage, but he wanted to employ it during the winter,” explains Shoemaker. So one bartender’s first inclination was to incorporate blood orange. “But since the tepache is driven by a deep funkiness, and the blood orange lent the drink a mid-range soft acidity, he opted for the high spice notes of a rye,” says Shoemaker. The assertive whiskey will warm your belly during chill winter months, but the bright pineapple and blood orange flavors will make you feel like the sun is shining again.
