Oaxaca City has a mysterious hour, a period of the day when time is suspended. As we walk through a hot day of Oaxaca’s eternal summer, the sun is at its zenith and the mind starts slowing down. The streets feel emptier and quieter than ever, though the soundly closed doors hide lively households of buzzing fans and cool adobe walls. When we need respite from the heat, we remember that, just around the corner, salvation awaits at Mezcalite Pop, a lush paleta (popsicle) and ice cream shop that since 2017 has been an oasis in the middle of the green quarry stone desert of Oaxaca’s historic center, always surprising us with its bold, fresh creations.
Unlike the quick fix that Mezcalite’s popsicles give us, its story is one of patience and determination. “My partner and I started selling mezcal at the Tequila and Agave Fair in Mexico City in 2010. Our goal was to develop a premium mezcal brand, but on our first trip to the event we felt intimidated by the other brands,” explains Aracely Palacios, Mezcalite´s 39-year-old co-owner and creative director. “We didn’t have any marketing strategy or big advertisements. Our only advantage was that we were selling a rare pasilla mixe chili infused mezcal.”
Aracely and Gustavo Ricoy (31), her co-owner and partner, foresaw the imminent boom of mezcal way before it happened, so they reconsidered their goals. “I suggested to Gustavo that we should go back to the roots; revisit his family tradition of creating fruit-flavored mezcal” adds Aracely. Gustavo’s grandfather was the creator of the super popular “cremas de mezcal,” fruit and grain-infused mezcals of multiple flavors, a concept that, throughout the years, was adopted by countless mezcal brands. The cremas (so-called because of their smoother, creamier texture) have become a category all their own. However, the original Cremas were developed by Mr. Gustavo Pensamiento in his hometown of Tlacolula, Oaxaca, and were made of only four flavors: chicozapote, apple, coffee and passionfruit.
After much thought, Gustavo and Aracely switched the focus of their project to fruit-flavored mezcal, but Aracely felt something was still missing. “Our second time at the fair, we decided to give a twist to the original formula and sold an ice-cold version of our fruit-infused mezcal. I then came up with the idea to serve our mezcal in a slushie, but shaving the ice was tricky,” says Aracely.
“One evening in 2012, as I talked to my high school friends, I remembered how we used to hang out after school eating ice popsicles. This memory was the answer to our logistic challenges: we could sell popsicles made with our fruit-infused mezcal.” In that moment, a new concept was born. With the mezcal popsicles on the menu, Mezcalite’s popularity soared to the point that Aracely and Gustavo decided to open a proper shop in Oaxaca where they could sell their creations, incorporating non-alcoholic versions of all the products to satisfy all sorts of costumers.
Mezcalite’s original shop was very different from its current look, but the location is the same. Back in 2017, right after its opening, the storefront was big enough for only a couple of customers. Today, almost a dozen of customers can sit and hang out inside. The shop expanded just as Mezcalite’s product offer moved boldly forward: inspired in another classic after-school craving, Aracely started selling what later became the customers’ favorite, the “Paty Chamoy,” a smooth nieve (gelato-style treat) of tropical flavors like mango and passionfruit (with or without mezcal) coated with a layer of chamoy (a sweet and sour syrup), sprinkled with chili salt and spicy gummies on the side – an undisputed paradise of flavors for most Mexicans, children and adults alike.
Aracely’s imagination didn’t stop there – she also created an elegant-and-naughty version of a mimosa: a rose petal popsicle that is dunked in a cup of bubbly white wine until it melts completely. “People love mimosas, especially on Sunday late mornings, after a long night. As one does, right?” adds Aracely, winking at us with a sassy smile on her face.
Surrounded by dozens of restaurants, bars and coffee shops mainly designed to satisfy the food and drink demands of tourists and foreign customers, Mezcalite Pop has become a temple for locals.
When it comes to quality, Aracely’s daring vision has found in Gustavo a good partner in crime. The knowledge he has inherited from his family about agriculture, fruits and agave has allowed them to source top quality products for Mezcalite’s creations. All the ingredients they use come from the same local producers they’ve worked with for the last 10 years. “Our mezcal comes from the agave grown in Gustavo’s own fields in Tlacolula, mangoes are cut from trees in Tehuantepec and immediately sent to us. Watermelon, hibiscus and prickly pears all come from our longtime producers” states Aracely.
Surrounded by dozens of restaurants, bars and coffee shops mainly designed to satisfy the food and drink demands of tourists and foreign customers, Mezcalite Pop has become a temple for locals. It is a place where Oaxacans – and most Mexicans from around the country – feel their sense of taste and cravings are considered, a spot where they can also be part of the recent culinary boom that Oaxaca is experiencing. Mezcalite is the best example of a business that believes in local customers and economy, and it doesn’t aim to depend solely on tourist customers. This is a place for everyone, regardless of their origin, age, or taste. Kids have many playful options, like gummy bear or cocoa popsicles; more conservative palates can choose non-spicy, non-alcoholic popsicles with classic flavors like watermelon or horchata, while adventurers can go wild with a myriad of unexpected flavors.
“I wanted to create an original proposal that stands out from all that you can find in the area. When I designed the place and the products, I imagined they were meant to make me feel special. That is the feeling I want to share,” adds Aracely, as she sits next to us with a cup of rose petal mimosa. It is just past three o’clock and the sun is far from giving in. The cool tiled walls and pastel couches of Mezcalite Pop are a shelter of comfort and ease. There is nothing to worry about here – we are literally in one of the coolest spots in town.
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