Salsa Borracha
Ingredients
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- 1 1/2 ounces dried pasilla chiles (~5.5 n/a dried pasilla chiles)
- 4 cups water
- 1 pound roma tomatoes (~7.5 medium roma tomatos)
- 4 ounces white onion (~1 medium white onion)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cups pulque
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- queso añejo – crumbled (for serving)
Instructions
1. Heat a dry skillet or comal over medium heat. Toast the dried pasilla chiles, pressing with a spatula and turning until fragrant and pliable, 30–45 seconds per side; do not let them blacken.
2. Transfer chiles to a bowl and cover with 4 cups hot water. Weight them with a small plate to keep submerged and soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid.
3. On the same hot skillet (or under a broiler on a sheet pan), char the tomatoes, onion, and garlic, turning occasionally until blistered and blackened in spots and the tomatoes have softened, 8–10 minutes. Peel the garlic if skins are loose.
4. In a blender, combine the softened chiles, charred tomatoes, onion, garlic, pulque, and 1/4 cup reserved chile soaking liquid. Blend until very smooth, adding a little more soaking liquid as needed to help it turn.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Carefully pour in the blended sauce and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring.
6. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened enough to coat a spoon and the flavors have melded, 10–12 minutes. Season with kosher salt to taste and adjust consistency with a splash of soaking liquid if desired; simmer 1 minute more.
7. Let the salsa cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with crumbled queso añejo (for serving).
Salsa Borracha is a deeply flavored Mexican chile sauce whose name nods to the splash of alcohol traditionally used in its preparation. Built on toasted pasilla chiles and enriched with pulque, it delivers a balanced profile: smoky-sweet from the pasilla, gently tangy from the fermentation notes of pulque, and rounded by the savor of charred tomatoes and aromatics. Typically spooned over barbacoa de borrego and tacos, it is thick enough to cling yet smooth enough to pour, often finished with a crumble of salty aged cheese for contrast.
Originating in Central Mexico—particularly Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, and Puebla—Salsa Borracha is closely tied to barbacoa culture and the agave-growing regions where pulque is traditional. Over time, cooks have adapted the alcohol component depending on availability, with beer occasionally substituting for pulque outside producing areas. Despite regional tweaks—some versions favor tomatillos or add local sour fruits—the sauce remains a celebration of pasilla chile character and the country’s fermented agave heritage.