Chablé Yucatán
“We always say that mezcal was first—the father of Tequila is mezcal,” says Samuel Polanco, our guide through Chablé Yucatán’s Tequila tasting experience. The Mayans fermented the juice of agave plants and Spaniards eventually distilled it to make mezcal. Tequila is a legally designated subset.
In the glass-walled tasting room of the resort’s Ixi’im (“corn” in Mayan), Polanco pours Montelobos Mezcal Tobalá. The restaurant’s walls showcase Chablé’s private collection of 3,435 unique bottles. The oldest, Brindis por México by José Cuervo, dates to 1845. A sample of five Tequilas, paired with Mayan flavors, including citrus, corn, cacao and crushed pumpkin seeds, follows.
Tequila tasting is only the start when experiencing the local culture at this luxury outpost on the Yucatán peninsula. Feeling a bit tipsy, you can proceed to dinner, where the signature dish is mouthwatering cochinita pibil (suckling pig slow-roasted, Mayan-style, underground). For lunch, you can have cochinita pibil tacos at the Ki’ol restaurant. In the authentic Mayan kitchen space, guests can learn to make corn tortillas and cacao from scratch.
This serene sanctuary, about an hour’s drive from Yucatán’s capital city of Mérida, encompasses more than 660 acres with ancient trees on parklike grounds. Dense jungle flora surround 40 private casitas and villas with private pools. Raised garden beds produce herbs for the kitchens and spa. The abundant fauna includes countless vocal bird species, chameleons, a herd of deer and hives of Yucatan stingless bees producing honey.
The Green Route guided bike tour takes you to the property’s highlights—from the spa built around a natural cenote to the temazcal sweat lodge to the “wellness” golf course with nine holes of pitch and putt for honing your short game—barefoot if you prefer to connect with nature.
The preserved historic buildings of the 18th-century hacienda include the former foreman’s home, which now houses the Sikar (Mayan for “smoking”) Bar. The clubby lounge offers an array of fine whiskeys, Cognacs and Tequilas along with Havana cigars from Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta.
Close out the evening sipping a smoky mezcal paired with a Montecristo No. 2 on the terrace overlooking illuminated parota trees and feel the Mayan gods smile down on you.
