A clear spirit distilled from roasted agave hearts, drunk neat in Venezuela’s northwest. It is made from Agave cocui by Ayaman and Jirajara descendants in Lara and Falcón; long clandestine, Cocuy Pecayero later won a denomination of origin.
Distilling is illegal without a licence, the plant is wild-harvested under a denomination of origin, and the pit-roast is a fire dug into the ground and covered for a day or more.
What goes into it
- Agave cocui hearts
- wild yeasts
- water
How it is made
Wild agave, which takes years to mature, is cut and its heart roasted in an earth pit over hot stones for a day or more, which converts its inulin into fermentable sugar. The roasted heart is crushed, fermented in open vessels on wild yeasts, and distilled in a simple still. Each producer’s spirit tastes of the sierra it was cut from.
How long it takes: years of wild growth, then days of pit-roasting and fermenting
How it is eaten
Neat in small glasses at room temperature, in the northwest.
History
Distilled from Agave cocui by Ayaman and Jirajara descendants in Lara and Falcon; long clandestine, Cocuy Pecayero later won a denomination of origin.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cocuy?
Cocuy is a wine & spirit from Venezuela: clear spirit distilled from roasted agave hearts, drunk neat in the northwest. Distilled from Agave cocui by Ayaman and Jirajara descendants in Lara and Falcon; long clandestine, Cocuy Pecayero later won a denomination of origin.
How is Cocuy made?
Wild agave, which takes years to mature, is cut and its heart roasted in an earth pit over hot stones for a day or more, which converts its inulin into fermentable sugar. The roasted heart is crushed, fermented in open vessels on wild yeasts, and distilled in a simple still. Each producer’s spirit tastes of the sierra it was cut from. It takes years of wild growth, then days of pit-roasting and fermenting.
Can I make Cocuy at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Distilling is illegal without a licence, the plant is wild-harvested under a denomination of origin, and the pit-roast is a fire dug into the ground and covered for a day or more.
What goes into Cocuy?
Agave cocui hearts, wild yeasts, water.
How is Cocuy eaten?
Neat in small glasses at room temperature, in the northwest.
