Taking an Uber to Estado de Mexico

Aperitivos are quintessentially Mediterranean and yet Mexico is making waves with its own versions.

8 Apr 2025 — 2 min read

If you're looking for a drink that's low in both alcohol and sugar... I've got a little treat for you!

(Those of you who love a good spritz on vacay will love this one, too. 👀 )

But first, let's talk about those bitter, red liqueurs we've been pouring over Prosecco for years...

Amaros vs Aperitivos

Unless you hail from southern Europe, you probably have only a wobbly idea of what these words really mean so let's break it down:

Amaros are bitter herbal liqueurs. They typically have less alcohol than other spirits and are drunk after a meal as a digestif. They hail from Italy, and the word amaro literally means "bitter" in Italian. Fernet is probably the most well-known, but Averna and Cynar are popular for cocktails, too.

Aperitivos are a category of drinks that are usually drunk before a meal to stimulate your appetite. They tend to be less bitter, even lower in alcohol, and are often mixed with sparkling wine, soda, or tonic. Think Aperol, Campari, or anything you mixed with Prosecco on your last beach vacay.

Both categories are quintessentially Mediterranean, and yet Mexico is making waves with its own versions.

I recently visited the Xila distillery in CDMX for an upcoming episode of the podcast

My favorite Mexican aperitivo

There are a few Mexican amaros floating around but the industry leader in my not-so-humble opinion is Xila, an aperitivo with quintessentially Mexican flavors.

Base spirit: Mezcal espadin from Oaxaca
Ingredients: Cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, caramelized pineapple, ancho chile, lavender, and hibiscus

The team hand-picks every ingredient, macerates them in the mezcal for seven days, filters it seven times, and then adds water before bottling.

The result is a really unique aperitivo. It's a little sweet, a little spicy, a little bitter, and totally delicious.

Some cool facts about Xila

Xila means woman in Zapotec, a local indigenous language.
It's one of the few woman-founded/owned/distilled brands in Mexico and it's made at a micro-distillery right right here in CDMX. (Or, technically, right over the border in Estado de Mexico.)
The founder & master distiller is 28-year old Hillhamn Salome, who founded the brand when she was just 18. 🤯
All the ingredients are hand-picked for quality control. Meaning there is a woman in CDMX hand-selecting each and every lavender bud that goes into every single bottle.
At 20% ABV, it's relatively low in alcohol. (Most tequilas or whiskeys, for example, clock in over 40%.)
Because of the way it's made, it also contains half the sugar of other aperitivos!