What Raicilla means
Raicilla is a Mexican drink name of Spanish origin meaning "little root". It is built from Spanish raíz (root) and -illa (diminutive). It is pronounced rye-SEE-yah, and it is most associated with Jalisco.
The traditional explanation is tax evasion: 18th-century distillers told collectors their spirit came from agave roots, not the taxed heart, and the fib stuck as the name. It is a good story that circulates in every account of the drink, but it is oral history.
This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: Agua fresca, horchata, atole, tepache, pulque, mezcal. Most Mexican drink names are the name of the plant or grain they are made from, and the agave spirits are named for the towns and regions that make them.
