Pelotón de la Muerte makes three mezcals, and it’s owned in part by the Brooklyn chef Danny Mena.
Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, so you might as well stock up on mezcal like everybody else. (Drizly, an e-commerce liquor retailer, reports that mezcal sales were up 600 percent last year). Danny Mena, a chef who was notably at Hecho en Dumbo and who is now at La Loncheria in Bushwick, Brooklyn, is also a partner in Pelotón de la Muerte, a mezcal company in Mexico that uses mostly wild magueys (a type of agave) and traditional production methods. The company has three distinctive mezcals made in different regions. Mezcal made from maguey espadín, the most common maguey, has a fruity, pineapple aroma and flavor. The maguey criollo is earthier, smokier and woodsy. And the vegan pechuga mezcal, made from criollo and ancho magueys distilled with citrus, has a burnt orange allure. (Pechuga is usually distilled with chicken breast or other meats but Pelotón de la Muerte uses fruit instead.) This mezcal goes into the cure for savory rustic chorizo-style salami made by New England Charcuterie in Waltham, Mass., and sold at La Loncheria ($9 for 5.5 ounces).