Mexico's iconic beverages take on a modern look
Who knew Mexico had so many traditional beverages? Design collective La Tlapalería (“The Hardware Store”) took advantage of their country’s rich food and drink culture to launch “Bebida Bien Vivida” (“Drink Well Lived”), a contemporary beverage set collection showcasing the flavors, colors and traditions that exist around twelve iconic Mexican drinks.
The sets are designed with a particular beverage in mind, aiming to heighten the ritual by showcasing each drink’s particular ingredients and introducing innovative features, thereby enhancing its taste. The result is a unique experience that combines contemporary elements with age-old rituals, reminding Mexicans that their grandmother’s drinking habits can be cool again. Meanwhile, the rest of us get a crash course into Mexico’s complex geography and fascinating drinking culture--- minus the tequila which you’ll notice was excluded from this collection with the excuse of being overly predictable.
El caliente
Designed by Alejandra Borge Chávez and crafted by Marco Franco and Rubén Flores
Hot cocoa is an ancient Aztec beverage known in Mexico for being created by the gods and discovered by men.
The set of cups synthesize the revolving motion of the whisk and chocolate by replacing it with a handle that allows the user to spin the mug around the base.
EL Pilón
Designed by Antar Corkidi
The ancient Asian beverage, of punch was adopted in Mexico with the addition of ingredients like tejocote, jamaica, piloncillo and guayaba.
The goal of this collection is to give the user the opportunity to experience the flavor of both cultures, making it possible to understand the origin of the beverage through the senses.
el callejero
Designed by Denisse Guadarrama
Crafted by Juan Cárdenas Ejeda, Industrial Vernier, Leogar, Alberto Manuel Rios Jaimes
Traditionally from northern Mexico is the tejuino drink, made of corn, and worthy of the gods. “El Callejero” is a set of table art that seeks to glorify the unique experience of preparing tejuino, the most refreshing drink within the Mexican culinary tradition, taking as inspiration its sense of freshness and long tradition.
el malquerido
Designed by Eder de León Nieves and crafted by Rubén Flores and Rodolfo Soria
'Aguamiel,' the only ingredient in pulque, is extracted directly from the heart of the 'maguey' by the 'tlachiquero,' who uses an 'acocote' (elongated, hollow cala- bash) to suck out the liquid.
He places a stone on top, to cover the heart’s cavity, keeping impurities out of the aguamiel as he performs the next extraction of the day. "El Malquerido" emulates this process, turning the user into the 'tlachiquero' of his own pulque.
la callejera
Designed by Javier Marín Murrieta
Crafted by Marco Franco + Rubén Flores + Magdalena Chávez
The 'tuberos' extract the sap from the palm of the coconut, which is then collected for hours and later fermented, resulting in this Mexican elixir, the tuba. It is an exotic drink taken at any time of the day in streets of the Mexican Pacific.
“La Callejera” is a table set inspired by the process of obtaining the tuba as well as the subtlety of its palm. A set of pieces that create a unique drinking experience.
el creador
Designed by Karla Itami
Crafted by Fabián Vázquez and Lázaro González
This traditionally Spanish ritual, adopted in Mexico, can be consumed with a variety of flavors and presentations.
“El Creador” enhances the traditional beverage, creating and improving the different ranges of flavors.
el brío
Designed by Manuel Alejandro Martínez Lorenzo and crafted by Enrique Hinojosa
Native of Veracruz and prepared from a mixture of fruit, milk and cane alcohol, the Torito was formerly consumed by sugar cane laborers after a long days' work. It is the drink that makes you feel strong again, like a bull.
“El Brío” is a set of copper cups and flasks that reflect strength, power and vitality, three characteristics of the drink.
la cascarita
Designed by Marco Eduardo Jurado César and crafted by Félix and Leogar
From the fermented skin of the pineapple arises the Tepache, a drink of prehispanic origin that combines water, pineapple peels, piloncillo and other ingredients. The result is a beverage popular in the urban landscape of local streets and markets.
“La Cascarita” is a collection that allows the elaboration, exhibition and tasting of the tepache, thus generating a link between the drink, its preparation and those who taste it.
El Beso
Designed by Maria Ureña Ballado and crafted by Omar Alvarado and Ramón Martínez
“You don’t drink mezcal, you kiss it." Mezcal is a traditionally ceremonial drink, also believed to be blessed. Because of its history, it deserves to be consumed correctly and among the best company.
“El Beso” is a set of table art meant to celebrate the traditional way of drinking mezcal, reflecting its origin and the legends behind it, and creating a drinking experience through a design that emphasizes the greatness of mezcal.
el somado
Designed by Natalia Gómez Sousa
Crafted by Atik arte, Irma Jiménez and Victor M. López
Once a year, from July to October the tuna wine comes back in season. The Colonche is a prehispanic beverage from the tuna cardona, fruit of the cactus.
This table art set is inspired by the purity of the cactus and the mystical somado that gives soul to the crystalline tunas.“El Somado” highlights the experience of drinking colonche.
el ancestral
Designed by Paula Morales Meléndez
Crafted by Marco Franco, dnc.mx and Industrial Vernier
Originally from the northern region of Mexico, the “wild sereque” is a cactus that after an artisanal process of jima, distillation and rest, creates Sotol: a recently revived drink that was traditionally used for religious and medicinal purposes by the Tarahumara and Anazasi ethnic groups.
“El Ancestral” is a set of exclusively designed utensils to enjoy the experience of drinking Sotol. It is inspired by the elegance, cleanliness and naturalness of its raw material.
El Mestizo
Designed by Shaila Ashley Pineda Leal
Crafted by Marco Franco, Rubén Flores and Industrial Vernier
Champurrado is an Aztec beverage used during sacred rituals, favored by Moctezuma and indigenous communities from Oaxaca de Juárez. It is produced using corn, chocolate, water and brown sugar (piloncillo), and was traditionally consumed from ceremonial vases made of gold.
“El mestizo” takes the traditional utensils used to make champurrado and modernizes them. It is designed so that the consumer experiences the process of grinding the cocoa beans and toasted cinnamon with his own hands, taking an active process in the beverage's final touch.
About La Tlapalería
La Tlapalería is a Mexican design collective formed by industrial design students and recent graduates of the Tecnológico de Monterrey university. Founded in 2013 as an international platform for young, local talent, the group aims to encourage fair trade by launching contemporary design collections inspired by Mexican culture and traditions, using local materials and artisanal techniques learned from master craftsmen. latlapaleria.com
Follow them on Facebook/ Instagram: facebook.com/latlapaleria; instagram.com/latlapaleria