Women lead artisanal microdistillery producing Mexican botanical spirits

Ingrid Solís and her team at Taller Astrafilia produce artisanal spirits and liqueurs in a microdistillery in Mexico City.

The facility, located in the Doctores neighborhood, functions as a workspace where the team transforms local flowers and plants into alcoholic beverages. The project began as a hobby for founders Andrés Rubio and Heráclito López before Solís took over as the head of the project.

The team uses strictly natural ingredients to maintain the essence of their products, choosing to avoid cheaper essential oils in favor of slow, artisanal drying processes. They work with various Mexican botanicals, such as pápalo, to promote indigenous plants that are no longer widely planted. The production process involves de-leafing, drying, and macerating ingredients like cempasúchil flowers and orange peels.

The team describes their pace as slow, noting that they spent three years developing a single liqueur recipe and five years on a vermut. The distillery produces a variety of drinks, including gins made with 32 different plants, agave honey from Jalisco, and various regional spirits like mezcal and raicilla. These products aim to reflect Mexican flavors, such as those found in traditional markets.

Through a new project called Casa Retama, the team now offers guided tours and tastings where visitors can see the production process and sample the spirits.