Maleza Pepita Pumpkin Seed Liqueur

The silky and delicate nature of pumpkin seeds (pepita), mixed with the most distinctive herbs of Mexican cuisine: epazote, hoja santa, avocado leaf, oregano and green pepper.

In the milpa (a traditional farming system and field used to grow crops in Mexico), pumpkin is a companion and protector of beans and corn, reducing the growth of other plants without competing for essential nutrients; Mexican cuisine has learned to take advantage of the different opportunities that each part of the plant presents, from flower to seed. Known to Mexican palates for dishes such as green mole, pipián and papadzul, pumpkin seeds have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, diuretic and antioxidant properties. It also provides the most protein of the commonly edible seeds.

Like all of the Maleza liquors, the base spirit is alcohol distilled from corn in Rubio Isunza’s native state of Chiapas, the southernmost state in Mexico. Chiapas’ native spirit is pox (pronounced posh) which is distilled from a mixture of corn, wheat, and sugarcane. Isunza worked with a traditional pox distiller in San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, to produce a base spirit purely from malted corn because it has such a distinctive flavor.