Dakabend Rum

Deep in the rugged Sierra Norte mountains of Northern Oaxaca, Dakabend Rum is produced near the village of San Cristóbal Lachiroag using sugarcane and piloncillo (raw brown sugar), sourced from mountainside plantings and spontaneously fermented in wooden vats. While the region has a history of some agave distillation, the environment is tropical, and the most common crops are coffee and cane. Cousins Edgar and Elisandro Gonzales, of Tosba Mezcal, make Dakabend to create an outlet for local distillers of rum or aguardiente—including Edgar’s father—to release their unique, Sierra Norte take on this sugarcane spirit.