Spirits · Oaxaca (mezcal) / Jalisco (tequila)

Dona Loca

A Denver chef's small-batch mezcal and tequila, made with Mexican family producers.

Founded by: Dana Rodriguez, Karen Ashworth-Macfarlane, Scott Kiere
Based in: Oaxaca (mezcal) / Jalisco (tequila)

Their story

Doña Loca is the spirits line of Denver chef Dana Rodriguez, known for her restaurants Work & Class and Super Mega Bien. She started it with partners Karen Ashworth-Macfarlane and Scott Kiere after a trip to Oaxaca sparked their interest in mezcal.

The mezcal is made with Mezcalería Ambulante, a fourth-generation family producer in Santa María Quiegolani, southeast of Oaxaca City. The tequilas come from Destilería Las Americas in Amatitán, Jalisco. Rodriguez has said she wants the line to teach people to drink agave spirits with respect.

How it's made

For the mezcal, mature agave is harvested by hand, roasted in underground pits, crushed with a stone wheel pulled by a donkey, and double distilled in copper stills. The range includes Espadín, Tobalá and Tepeztate. Burnt piñas from the roasting pits go to a women-run cooperative in Oaxaca that makes the labels.