Abrojo Gin

Well known for his commitment to sustainability and agricultural responsibility throughout production, maestro mezcalero Gonzalo Martinez Sernas has spent years developing Abrojo Gin both as an outlet for the leftover agave fibers, which otherwise become a significant waste byproduct of mezcal, and to explore his love of gin as one of the world’s classical spirits from outside Mexico.

Recycling (or “upcycling”) the spent agave from his family’s mezcal production (the celebrated Macurichos label, also in the Skurnik portfolio), Gonzalo re-mills the bagasse by hand, using a massive wooden mallet and long wooden canoe, extracting further sugars and diverse bacteria in the process. The results are combined incrementally with spring water, refermented using only the wild yeast in the palenque’s atmosphere, and distilled using either copper (Artesanal) or clay (Ancestal) stills. On the second pass through the stills, juniper is added alongside an array of other botanicals, all sourced from the local Oaxacan district of Tlacolula. 

The result is enchanting: a gin which speaks to its provenance deeply, combining an indigenous botanical profile with a backbone forged from Oaxaca’s most iconic traditional spirit, speaking to the category’s growing prestige on the international stage.