Theo Nash
In Mexico, alcoholic beverages are subject to a 16% value-added tax (VAT) and a Special Tax on Products and Services. Alcoholic drinks sold in the country must adhere to specific labelling requirements, including displaying information in Spanish, such as the type of product, country of origin, and alcohol content, and a mandatory health warning. Mexico's diverse culture offers a wide range of alcoholic beverages, from traditional pre-Hispanic drinks like pulque, tepache, and pox to lesser-known regional liquors like raicilla, sotol, and bocanora, showcasing the country's rich history and cultural heritage. Travellers are allowed to bring duty-free alcohol into Mexico, with allowances specified by customs regulations.
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What You'll Learn
Allegations of tainted alcohol in Mexico
However, some people have dismissed these allegations, stating that they are likely the result of overconsumption of cheap alcohol, which can lead to sickness, hangovers, or even acute alcohol intoxication. It is suggested that the alleged "tainted liquor" in Mexico is more likely a result of consuming excessive amounts of lower-quality alcohol rather than the intentional adulteration of bottled alcoholic beverages.
While the allegations of tainted alcohol in Mexico have raised concerns, it is important to consider the context and factors that could contribute to negative experiences. The type of alcohol, the amount consumed, and individual tolerance levels all play a role in how people may react to alcoholic beverages.
Mexico has a rich culture of producing and consuming various alcoholic beverages, including traditional drinks like pulque, tepache, pox, and lesser-known liquors like raicilla, sotol, and bocanora, which are made from distilled agave. When consuming alcohol in Mexico, it is always advisable to exercise moderation and be aware of the potential risks associated with excessive consumption or drinking unknown substances.
It is worth noting that similar issues of tainted alcohol are not limited to Mexico. Incidents of bartenders refilling premium bottles with cheaper alcohol to increase profits have been reported in cities in the United States as well, underscoring the importance of vigilance and responsible drinking practices regardless of location.
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Alcohol tax and trade regulations
Mexico is proposing a new alcohol tax system, which would be the best-designed alcohol tax system in the world. The new system, a modernized Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS), would replace the country's existing price-based ad valorem alcohol tax. Instead, alcoholic beverages would be taxed ad quantum, based on their alcohol content. This proposed ad quantum tax would be $1.40 MXN per degree of alcohol per liter of beverage ($140 pesos per liter of pure ethanol). This new system would increase baseline tax revenues and bring significant changes to the tax structure, reducing the illicit market.
The new ad quantum tax system would be a more neutral tax than the current ad valorem tax, better targeting the ingredient that creates external harms. This would mean that different tax rates would not be applied to different types of alcohol, which can disproportionately encourage the consumption of one product over another by artificially increasing prices through tax codes.
For importers seeking to import beverage alcohol into Mexico, there are several steps that must be followed. Firstly, importers must register in the Registro Federal de Contribuyentes (Federal Taxpayers Registry or RFC) before commencing business. This is completed with the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT). Following this, importers must enroll in the "Padrón de Importadores" (Registry of Importers) and the "Padrón de Importadores de Sectores Específicos" (Registry of Importers in Specific Sectors).
In terms of labelling requirements, Mexican regulation NOM-142-SSA1-1995 outlines that labels must include the following information, in Spanish: the type of product (e.g. wine, malt beverage, etc.), the country of origin, the alcohol content (followed by “% alc. vol.”), and a warning statement which reads: “El abuso en el consumo de este producto es nocivo para la salud" [Abuse of this product is hazardous to your health], as per Article 218 of the General Health Law.
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Alcohol labelling requirements
In Mexico, the government implemented revised labelling requirements and production standards for all alcoholic beverages imported, manufactured, and sold in the country. These rules are officially known as Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM 142) and came into force on 24 March 2016. NOM 142 includes the following mandatory information on alcoholic beverage labels and packaging:
- Name or generic name (e.g. "beer" or "wine") and trademark of the product.
- Name, corporate name, and legal address of the producer and/or distributor.
- Country of origin, including captions such as "Made in __" and "Product of __".
- Lot identification with a code that allows for traceability.
- "Best-before" date, which must include at least the day and month for products with a shelf life of less than or equal to 3 months, or the month and year for products with a longer shelf life.
- Alcohol content (percentage of alcohol by volume).
- Energy content, expressed in either kilojoules (kJ) or kilocalories (kcal).
- List of ingredients, including additives that cause hypersensitivity or allergy concerns.
- Cautionary notes, such as "Excessive consumption of this product may be harmful to your health".
- Symbols to discourage alcohol abuse and underage drinking.
Additionally, alcoholic beverages for export are exempt from these requirements. Producers of alcoholic beverages must also comply with specific production standards, such as only using vegetable-origin ethylic alcohol as a raw material and ensuring that the product has not been adulterated during processing, packaging, or marketing. Proper documentation and records must be maintained to verify compliance with these standards.
It is worth noting that separate from NOM 142, Mexico has also released updated "criteria" for imported products to adhere to the NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 regulations, which focus on labelling specifications for prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages.
While there have been concerns about tainted alcohol in Mexico, particularly at resorts, these allegations are often attributed to the overconsumption of cheap or fake alcoholic drinks, rather than suggesting that bottled alcoholic beverages in Mexico are tainted.
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Mezcal production process
Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from a variety of species of the agave plant, native to Mexico. The production process is intricate and varies depending on the type of mezcal being made: ancestral, artisanal, or industrial.
Ancestral mezcal is cooked in a pit and crushed by hand with a mallet or stone mill. The agave is cooked in a stone-lined pit with a bonfire built on top. Once the fire dies down, stones are placed on the hot coals and covered with wet agave fibre and agave. The pit is then covered with straw mats and buried, allowing the heat from the stones to cook the agave over several days. The cooked agave is then crushed by hand with large wooden mallets, and the resulting fibre and wet pulp are left to ferment.
Artisanal mezcal is similar, but the cooked agave is crushed by a stone wheel pulled by a horse or mule, or with mechanical shredders. This method also uses modern distillation techniques, excluding autoclaves, diffusers, and column stills.
Industrial mezcal uses modern production methods, cooking the agave in autoclaves, extracting the juice with a diffuser, and distilling in stainless-steel columns.
After the agave is cooked and crushed, it is left to ferment in large vats or barrels with water. The fermentation process takes between three days and two weeks, depending on the season, altitude, and temperature. Once fermentation is complete, the liquid is distilled. Most mezcal is distilled in clay or wood stills heated by direct fire, though copper pots are also used. The distillation process is typically done twice, with the final product having an alcohol content of 40-50% ABV.
The distilled mezcal is then either bottled and sold immediately, referred to as "joven" or "young", or aged in oak barrels for a period ranging from one month to over a decade, resulting in a smoother and more complex flavour profile.
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Traditional Mexican alcoholic drinks
There are several traditional Mexican alcoholic drinks, each with its own unique flavour and preparation method. Here is a list of some of the most well-known and beloved Mexican alcoholic drinks:
Mezcal
Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from various types of agave plants. The agave plants are harvested, and the piña, or heart, is extracted by removing the leaves and roots. The piñas are then cooked for around three days in pit ovens, which are earthen mounds over pits of hot rocks. This underground roasting gives mezcal its distinctive smoky flavour. The cooked agave is then crushed, mashed, and left to ferment in large vats or barrels with water. The fermented mash is distilled in clay or copper pots, and the resulting liquor is bottled and sold. Mezcal can have an alcohol content of up to 55%, and it is often left to age in barrels for varying lengths of time.
Tequila
Tequila is another well-known Mexican alcoholic drink made from the distillation of fermented blue agave plants. The process of distilling tequila is highly regulated, and only specific regions in Mexico are authorised to produce it. Tequila is a key ingredient in many cocktails, such as margaritas, and it comes in different varieties like tequila blanco, reposado, and añejo, each with its own distinct flavour and ageing process.
Raicilla
Raicilla, sometimes referred to as Mexico's moonshine, is also produced from the agave plant. It has a smoky flavour similar to mezcal but with more prominent fruity and floral notes. Raicilla was traditionally distilled with minimal guidelines, but today it is gaining popularity among mixologists in Mexico and the US, who use it in craft cocktails.
Margarita
The margarita is arguably one of the most famous Mexican cocktails, known for its combination of tequila, fresh lime juice, and a sweetener. However, margaritas come in numerous variations, with mixologists experimenting with different fruits and vegetables, such as mango, cucumber, pineapple, jalapeno, tamarind, and prickly pear. The drink can also be made with grapefruit soda instead of fresh juice, adding a bubbly twist.
Palomas
Palomas is another traditional Mexican cocktail made with tequila and grapefruit soda. It often features a spicy chili powder-salt rim and is garnished with fresh grapefruit wedges, creating a refreshing and fruity drink with a kick.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Traditional Mexican hot chocolate is made by melting Mexican chocolate bars, which contain almond meal, spices, vanilla, and chili, into water. The mixture is then whipped vigorously with a molinillo, a wooden whisk, until it becomes frothy. When Mexican chocolate bars are not available, a regular hot chocolate can be accented with baking spices and a pinch of chili for a similar effect.
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Frequently asked questions
Mezcal, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave, can have fruits, herbs, and even chicken breast added during fermentation to increase its alcohol content.
There have been allegations of bartenders refilling empty bottles of top-shelf alcohol with home blends or cheap alcohol to increase their profit margins.
All alcoholic beverages sold in Mexico are subject to a 16% value-added tax (VAT) and the Impuesto Especial de Productos y Servicios or IEPS (Special Tax on Products and Services).
Labels on alcohol bottles in Mexico must include a warning statement that reads: "El abuso en el consumo de este producto es nocivo para la salud" ("Abuse of this product is hazardous to your health"), as per Article 218 of the General Health Law.
