First, there was tequila, then mezcal, sotol, and banana. The agave spirits guide is always being edited because, frankly, there are so many of them coming in and out of fashion. And it turns out they extend well beyond the continent of North America as well.
The latest version is sango, hailing from South Africa and poised to make landfall soon here in the states. Similar to tequila, it’s being made from a pair of agave species that do particularly well in the arid climate. Better still, it’s another adaptation of the plant, honoring some techniques of the taequileros of old but also very much its own thing.
What is sango?
Damola Timeyin is the co-founder of Spearhead Spirits. He says the label’s sango was so well received in Africa that they decided to launch in the U.S. “Sango is an African take on tequila,” he says. “We’re not about simply replicating a spirit made elsewhere here. We want to have that bold, distinctive, and authentic fingerprint of Africa in the DNA of any spirit that we make, regardless of category.”
The agave has been growing on the continent for ages, but the spirit is relatively new. “However, African cocktail culture is vibrant and full of bold flavors,” Timeyin says. “Cocktail-wise, Sango makes a banging African Spicy Margarita—the secret being the suya spice rim, which is a typical seasoning in West Africa. Suya, if you’ve not tried it yet, is a bright, bold seasoning containing peanuts, cloves, salt, ginger, chili, onion powder, and nutmeg.”
How is sango produced?
Timeyin says sango and its production borrows a bit from artisanal production methods of both tequila and mezcal. But the African-grown agave American leads to something different in the bottle.
“Given the environmental concerns we’ve seen in Mexico regarding monocultures, it was important to us to use only agave grown wild in a poly-cultural environment,” he says. “However, this is a time consuming and labor intensive process and requires much more in-field testing to ensure the right sugar levels before hand harvesting.”
On par with smaller, family-run tequila producers, Spearhead uses smaller brick ovens. “And we also roast a small percentage of the agave in fire pits, as is typical in small-scale mezcal production,” he says.
The spirit is double distilled with no additives introduced, as “we’re looking to highlight the natural flavors of African agave, not cover them up,” Timeyin says.
While tequila usually rests in American oak, Spearhead opts for something more African: Red wine casks from the continent. “The red wine barrels temper the spirit and bring a rich, fruit-forward finish to our reposado,” he says. “It was important to us to ensure that every aspect of Sango represented the continent in which it was created and because we have such an incredible wine industry here it was a no brainer to incorporate South African red wine barrels into the finish of Sango.”
The role of terroir
What is terroir? The flavor of a specific place, essentially. And that’s what will certainly help elevate sango into a realm unto itself. “The semi-arid climate and soil in the Karoo desert and South Africa’s eastern cape province is similar to that of other key tequila regions, which is why agave grows in such abundance here and why Africa can be considered the second home of agave,” he says. “The agave varieties we’re using in Sango are Agave Americana and Agave Salmiana, whereas most other tequila producers use Blue Weber agave. We selected these varieties because they naturally grow well here and are most suited to agave spirits production as they have the right sugar levels to produce the quality of spirit we are after.”
And while sango is clearly its own thing, there’s a familiarity to it as well. “It brings the familiar agave notes reminiscent of a handcrafted tequila with the distinctive pepper note that is typical of Agave Americana, so fans of Mexican agave spirits should expect something reassuringly recognizable yet also distinctively different,” he says.
More diversity in spirits
The brand has been busy, with many more projects in the works and aging. Spearhead has already launched Vusa, a vodka made from an African sugarcane base, and Bayab, a gin which “celebrates the unique flavors of the African continent,” according to Timeyin.
“The world needs more African spirits, period,” he adds. “As a continent, Africa is sorely underrepresented on the world stage. It makes a huge difference for consumers to see Africa having a presence in their local bars and stores.”
And that kind of representation not only tells a great tale but levels the playing field and brings another important voice to the table. “We’re here to tell stories of the African continent and demonstrate that premium African spirits can sit alongside the very best in the world. More diversity and better representation in the spirits world is always a good thing,” he says.
Check out our South African cuisine guide while we’re on the topic.
