Roxana Aguirre runs the city’s first agave-based bottle shop!
A former first-grade teacher, Roxana Aguirre started learning about agave-based spirits when her husband opened Patria Cocina Mexican restaurant in Grant Park in 2018. Fast-forward six years and the mezcal sommelier recently returned from Jalisco, Mexico, where she planted agave and pine trees with master distillers and learned about raicilla, another agave-based spirit yet to achieve widespread fame in the United States. Now she’s using these details at Ancestral Bottle Shop + Market that she recently opened on the Upper Westside.
“Ancestral is a place for microbatch, additive-free, producerand distillery-owned products that aren’t as mainstream. A lot of education goes on in the shop,” she says. “We were doing spirit-based events at Patria, and people wanted to find out where to buy them. I thought, ‘Why not create a place where we can give these smaller brands space on the shelf?’”
About 90% of the spirits at Ancestral are agave-based. The other 10% are gin, whiskey and rum, all Mexican made. A handful of wines and non-alcoholic options are available as well. In addition, Ancestral features a small market selling hand-crafted Mexican goods. “I’m Mexican and want to highlight my culture,” Aguirre says.
How did you learn so much about agave-based spirits?
In 2014, part of my job at the restaurant was tasting agave spirits and seeing what was available. I would do research and listen to podcasts, and then I did the Agave Spirits Institute course in Oaxaca to become a certified mezcal sommelier. Drinking is part of the job. I do tastings once a week or every other week. I do them in the morning because I have to pick up my kids from school around 3:30. I make sure I have a really good breakfast— potatoes, eggs and bread—and stay hydrated. Sparkling water helps cleanse the palate between tastes.
What else do you sell in the shop?
I meet amazing people in my travels who make glassware, ceramics and art. These are perfect for gifts. If you’re gifting someone tequila, we have glasses to go along with it. We have traditional Mexican cookies, agave syrup, chocolates from Mexico City that pair well with tequilas, and coffee from Little Waves in North Carolina. Coffee is rooted deep in Latin America. We have books about agave and cookbooks, too.
What do you do for fun?
I like to cook and bake. When I was younger, I thought I was going to be a baker. I like making brownies, chocolate chip cookies and banana or zucchini bread with my kids. I go back to California at least once a year to visit my mom, sisters, nieces and nephews, and I travel to Mexico twice a year for work.
Anything else should we know?
I’m very proud of my heritage. When I was younger, I was taught to assimilate. I was ashamed of being Mexican for a good portion of my childhood. As I grew older, I started respecting it and appreciating it more. I’m teaching my kids to be proud of speaking Spanish and eating our food. Having this bottle shop is another way of expressing my gratitude and love for my culture and traditions.
