The Mezcal

Our process

The Mezcal

A HIDDEN PLACE

Dos Hombres is the product of multiple generations of proud Mezcal producers from the small village of San Luis del Rio, in a remote section of Oaxaca. With the blessing of the rich soil and adequate rainfall, the best agaves in the world are cultivated.

The maestro

A third-generation maestro mezcalero

From his house, situated on the midpoint of a steep hill, Velasco is a short walk from his palenque. Next to the earthen oven where he recently roasted a batch of tobalá, a large stone wheel called a tahona is set up on a circular stone basin.

The process

01

Harvest

Espadin agave must be grown for at least 6 years before it's ready for harvest. The leaves are cut off in the fields and the plant’s piña is dug up.

02

Cooking

The root balls (or pineapples) are chopped into quarters then placed into earthen pits of hot stones and covered with soil. Four days of baking the agave brings out their natural sugars.

03

Milling

The sweet fruit is now transferred to a round, above-ground pit, where a traditional stone wheel, usually pulled by a donkey, breaks down the cooked agave into a mash.

04

Fermentation

The mashed agave is put into wooden tubs of mountain spring water. Left to ferment over the next 7 to 10 days, the mash becomes a “tepache”.

05

Distillation

The tepache is loaded into copper stills, heated to an exact temperature, and watched carefully over the next two days as it slowly drips into a basin… The result is a deliciously smooth Mezcal.