The United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) Hartford chapter hosted two virtual education sessions in April with Chris Hampson, Co-owner, DC Craft Brands. Area beverage professionals participated in a web-based session led by Hampson, who highlighted mezcal production and distillation for the line made by Mezcalero Fernando Santibañez, who makes the small batches at his palenque in Matatlán, Oaxaca. Hampson also showcased the newly released Xicaru Pechuga Mole, which celebrates the tradition of both mezcal de pechuga and traditional Oaxacan mole. Xicaru, pronounced ZEE-kah-roo, is the Zapotec word for beautiful. The brand was launched just over four years ago and follows the traditional methods of production: agave espadín is cooked in an underground stone oven, mashed with a horse-drawn tahona and fermented in open-air pine vats. Xicaru is distributed in Connecticut by Allan S. Goodman, Inc. and Eder Bros., Inc.