Sotol History

During the 19^th Century in the Northern Region of Mexico, in the village of Tomochi, a native tribe acclaimed their religious rituals with nectar made from a cactus plant named “Sereque.”  This nectar, which contains alcohol in its purest form, was also used as a medical remedy.  The Sereque grows abundantly in the Chihuahua desert and is carefully selected for the production of the smooth, natural tasting nectar.  This nectar is called “Sotol,” and it’ quality depends on the skill and knowledge of the master sotol maker.

The long stalk of the Sotol plant is what we make our walking sticks from.  It is usually straight, exceedingly strong, and very lightweight, each having in own texture and design from the Mexican border used for hiking and support.  Many times you can find some with a unique shape as shown in the picture (left) that can be used as a cane.  It makes a very attractive and durable walking stick when finished.  These are shrubs composed of dense basal rosette of long, sword like leaves that is usually trunkless.  It is found in deserts, mountains, on dry rocky slopes.  The flowers are produced in the spring and summer, flowering every few years in a dense cluster on a stalk 10 – 16 foot tall.  Sereque (Dasylirion wheeleri) looks like an explosion of spined leaves that end in frayed tips.  A dioecious plant, Sereque is a member of the monocot agave family.  Native Americans have used the stem as a food, and fermented juice can make a powerful alcoholic beverage with the same name as the plant.  The leaves can also be used to weave mats and baskets.  Sotol can be found on rocky limestone or igneous mountainsides in the El Paso area.  The Apache used the long stalk from the plant for a lance because of its great strength, usually attaching a flame hardened, and sharpened mahogany tip to the stalk.  Usually they attached two eagles’ feathers to near the tip to increase its flight.  With the coming of the Spaniards to Mexico, the distillation process was added, refining the sotol nectar into its present day distilled spirit.