Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico
After living here in the State of Sonora for a little while, we’ve begun to discover surprising little pleasures. It’s time to share a few of them with you.
CHOCOLATES
There are some very good Mexican chocolates that we’ve not seen in the US.
These are in addition to the Ibarra brand of very tasty chocolate used in brewing Mexican cocoa, and available in the Specialty Section of most US supermarkets. I’m referring to bars of dark, rich “Turin Semi-Amargo.” Although it’s intended for making fine pastry, we’ve come to enjoy breaking off pieces of this wonderful chocolate to enjoy after dinner with sweet organic orange slices from local groves, accompanied by a snifter of good Mexican Don Pedro brandy. Very good Havana Club rum, from Cuba, is also available here. It’s a rich rum that’s ideal for sipping, splashed over an ice cube or two.
WINE
We’ve found some excellent Mexican wine, from vineyards in Baja California del Norte. Two brands especially, L.A.Cetto (from the Valle de Guadalupe near Ensenada) and XA (from Pedro Domecq vineyards in the Calafia Valley) produce some very savory reds and whites that go down well with the local fish and fare. They’re reasonably priced from 76 pesos (about US$6.75) to 82 pesos (about US$7.25) per bottle.
There’s a very nice “Vino Ecologico” made by Vinos de La Cruz, from La Cruz, Florida, Uruguay that we’ve enjoyed on many special occasions. The vineyard is certified organic under Dutch and Uruguayan regulations and the wine is delicious. A bottle of this very good wine costs 125 pesos (about US$11.00).
A wide variety of good Argentine and Chilean wines are also available at local stores.
BACANORA
And then there’s Bacanora. It’s strong stuff that may require a long adjustment period before you actually like it, if you ever do. How to describe it, other than something like, “...possessing the rich and unmistakable bouquet of fine young bootleg liquor...” Our daughter described the aroma as resembling “...something you’d treat wounds with!” As I recall, after one sniff, she declined to taste it. Ah yes, it’s difficult to describe.
Bacanora comes from the town of Bacanora (!) in the mountains northeast of Hermosillo. It’s a rugged land, the home of rugged people, of cattle ranches and vaqueros, of strong drink and stronger passions.
Please use with the greatest of caution.
These and other fine beverages and liqueurs are generally available at both small tiendas and the larger supermercados. They can also be found at an excellent liquor store in Hermosillo called Cubiella, near the Sanborn’s department store.
Mexico, for us, remains a land of discovery and every new day brings another delight. We’ll add these new and delicious items to the log as we can find the time. In between slurps. — PRW