Flor del Desierto Cascabel is a sotol-based rattlesnake Pechuga from Chihuahua. Another version of this, Veneno, contained rattlesnake venom.
About this sotol
Flor del Desierto Cascabel is a spirit distilled from sotol with natural flavor finished in oak barrels. This is considered the sotol form of a “rattlesnake Pechuga.” Essentially rattlesnake meat was added to the distillate during the final distillation. It’s made with Dasylilrion Leiophyllum at 48% ABV by Gerardo Ruelas.
Flor del Desierto Sotol
Flor del Desierto began in 2011 by a small group of friends after one of them, Flor, won a baking competition using sotol as the special ingredient. All sotol plants, also known as the desert spoon or sereque, are wild-harvested in the Coyame Desert and mountains of Madera. Each one of Flor del Desierto’s Sotols are distinguished by the region they’re produced in, the stills where they are distilled and the hands of each sotol maker, whose own techniques and years of experience give their spirits a unique character.
Review this bottle
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MezcalBabe
75 reviewsSo smoothe!
natural sweetness; super chill on the nose a little fruity, serious mouthfeel
Imperium
118 reviewsYellowing color, smells buttery like popcorn. Pear.
Palate is immediately noticeable- oily and a little gamey, but the rattlesnake feels like a gimmick. Fun to say I’ve tried.
Jori
52 reviewsDefinitely a meaty bite to it. Light bbq smoke, cotija cheese, mint. Spicy pepper, herbal and light floral notes. Some oak and earthiness. Tons of flavor, light on booze. A real pleasure to drink
Dom
29 reviewsI get anise, mint, and light meaty smell on the backend.
Taste has a lot funk in a good way. Minerals, light smoke, & more pronounced meat. Light vanilla and black pepper on the finish
meserole
73 reviewsThe concept was obviously exciting, and pretty badass (I thought) until I realized the other batch had VENOM rather than rattlesnake meat. Oh well.
I would challenge anyone to successfully ID this as sotol from the smell — it’s carmelized, smells like bourbon. While the smell was a surprising twist, the flavor wasn’t too bold — hot alcohol, a bit of anise, little to no aftertaste, and almost none of the rich earthiness that I’d come to love from the Sotols I’ve had previously.
Very cool bottle and points for novelty, but also points away for the price. Paid $90 at Astor Wine and Spirits in NYC.
Batch AA013.
The concept was obviously exciting, and pretty badass (I thought) until I realized the other batch had VENOM rather than rattlesnake meat. Oh well.
I would challenge anyone to successfully ID this as sotol from the smell — it’s carmelized, smells like bourbon. While the smell was a surprising twist, the flavor wasn’t too bold — hot alcohol, a bit of anise, little to no aftertaste, and almost none of the rich earthiness that I’d come to love from the Sotols I’
Thankin_Hank
11 reviewsThis was smooth and different but I didn’t get the meat part of it and sotol seems a taste lighter than her cousin. Overall I would buy it for my martini I make with a jalapeno stuffed olive with a couple of table spoons of brine and a pickled quail egg on a toothpick/skewer.
kozinnski
14 reviewsnose: ginger, thai basil, chili pepper, and red berries off the bat. then some funk – gym bag and shoes without socks on a hot summer day, and some fish sauce. light, grassy smoke.
palate: medium but nice mouthfeel. more ginger, star anise, sweet cola, some olive brine, mixed spiced nuts, allspice, cedar
medium finish with lots of that ginger tingling. this is great. i tried to find some of that funk from the nose on the palate but couldn’t. still great.
Tyler
668 reviewsAnise up front. The nose has more of that sotol grassiness than the taste does. Not getting any meat/snake on this, just sweet fruit specifically apricot. Was excited to try this and while it wasn’t a let down it wasn’t impressive. Giving it an extra half star for the novelty aspect. Batch AA013
TheAgaveFairy
169 reviewsFlor Del Desierto Cascabel 48%
AA013
Hay color. Medium thinnish legs, scattered beads.
Lots of mint and [star] anise. Savory. Raisin, cedar, cinnamon, sour lemon, tangerine, vanilla, honeyed chamomile. Light smoke, cardamom, thyme/oregano, pecan. 8 drops of water: more funk coming out, meat for sure. More on the nutty spices, less bright. More what I would’ve expected.
Everything I like about the desierto offering is here – that trio of minerality, smoke, and sweetness. Finish is cedar, black pepper / spice, thyme, and a touch of nutmeg and vanilla.
Worth trying if you like sotols or the idea of a pechuga esp. with rattlesnake.
Flor Del Desierto Cascabel 48%
AA013
Hay color. Medium thinnish legs, scattered beads.
Lots of mint and [star] anise. Savory. Raisin, cedar, cinnamon, sour lemon, tangerine, vanilla, honeyed chamomile. Light smoke, cardamom, thyme/oregano, pecan. 8 drops of water: more funk coming out, meat for sure. More on the nutty spices, less bright. More what I would’ve expected.
Everything I like about the desierto offering is here – that trio of minerality, smoke, and sweetness. Finish is cedar, b