Siglo Cero Pox

Siglo Cero Pox is an approximately 84-proof (~42% ABV, batch-variable) ancient Mayan spirit from San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico — pox (pronounced "pōsh"), Tzotzil Maya for "medicine" or "healing," still used in ceremony and ritual today. Distilled from 44% corn, 28% wheat, and 28% sugarcane — including four heirloom corn varieties grown by Mayan farmers — it is fermented 10 to 18 days in wooden vats (tinas) and double-distilled in traditional wood-fired copper pot stills. A Silver Medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, imported by Skurnik Wines & Spirits. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• ABV: ~42% (~84 proof; varies batch to batch — 40.5–42.2% reported)
• Size: 750mL
• Style: pox — Mayan spirit of Chiapas (not a rum, not a sotol)
• Origin: San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico
• Production: corn (4 heirloom varieties) + wheat bran + cane juice + piloncillo + local spring water; 10–18 day wood-vat fermentation; double-distilled, wood-fired copper pot stills; proofed from 104–120 off the still

Medicine, in the Best Sense

Pox predates nearly every spirit on our shelf — a ceremonial Mayan distillate whose name means healing, made today the way it has been for generations: cane crushed and part-boiled into piloncillo, corn dried and milled, everything fermented in wooden tinas with local spring water, then run twice through wood-fired copper. Siglo Cero was created in collaboration with the indigenous Mayan community of Chiapas to preserve pox heritage, and a portion of each sale is donated to the ALSOL Foundation supporting Mexican artists and craftspeople in Chiapas. The result is savory on the nose and palate — ancho and guajillo chiles, esquites, dried coconut, baked corn husk — a spirit unlike anything else in our sotol-adjacent and Siglo Cero shelves.

Tasting Notes

Savory on the nose and palate: ancho and guajillo chiles, esquites (Mexican street corn), dried coconut, and baked corn husk. Rustic, earthy, and deeply distinctive.

How to Enjoy

Neat, at room temperature, to meet pox on its own terms — this is a heritage spirit, not a mixer. For the curious, it brings a savory, corn-driven dimension to a cocktail built like a mezcal old fashioned; start with a half-ounce substitution.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pox?
Pox ("pōsh") is an ancient Mayan spirit of Chiapas, Mexico — distilled from corn, wheat, and sugarcane, still used in ceremony and ritual today. It is neither a rum nor a sotol.

What does Siglo Cero Pox taste like?
Savory — ancho and guajillo chiles, esquites, dried coconut, and baked corn husk.

Why does the proof vary?
The importer notes ABV varies batch to batch (about 40.5–42.2%); we list ~42%.

A living Mayan tradition in a bottle — order Siglo Cero Pox online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.