Madre Mezcal Desert Water - Oaxaca, Mexico The mezcal is made by hand in open-air palanques using traditional Zapotec recipes and methods. With a nod to mezcal’s, heritage as a plant medicine, Desert Water incorporates ingredients believed to have functional properties like adaptogenic mushrooms, anti-inflammatory herbs and anti-fungal cacti. Grapefruit & Yerba Santa: Grapefruit and mezcal is a simple pairing that results in the delicious Mezcal Paloma. Incorporating these same flavors, along with the Mexican herb Yerba Santa, which has notes of pepper, anise and eucalyptus. Yerba Santa, “holy herb,” gets its name partly from Spanish missionaries, but also for its reputation as a miracle treatment for nearly anything.