Raicilla
Raicilla is a distilled spirit, originating in the south western portion of the Mexican state of Jalisco. Like tequila and mezcal, it is a product of the agave plant.
Traditionally raicilla has been created and sold as a "moonshine" product without government sanction or approval. Recently a distiller, La Venenosa, has begun to market a variety of legal brands of raicilla.
Process
It is distilled in crude, primitive stills from a fermented mash made from the central stem (piña) of the maguey plant. The mash is slow cooked, and the steam condensed on a copper cone cooled, traditionally, by spring water. To make a liter of Raicilla takes 10 kg of agave. Many different varietals are used to produce Raicilla, including Agave angustifolia ("Chico Aguiar" or "Yellow"), Agave maximiliana, Agave inaequidens and Agave rhodacanta.[1] If not watered down it is usually more than 100 proof.