Sotol Romo Launches in NYC and the Hamptons as Summer's New Mexican Spirits Category Gains Momentum

Distributed by Empire Merchants and backed by Casa Komos Beverage Group, Sotol Romo debuts an ultra-premium, additive-free expression of Sotol 100% Puro.

NEW YORK, July 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotol Romo, the ultra-premium Mexican brand distributed by Empire Merchants, enters New York City and the Hamptons this summer across a growing list of influential accounts including Nobu Downtown, Jose Andre's Nubeluz and Bazaar Meat at Ritz Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, Please Don't Tell (PDT), Oriana, Morton's The Steakhouse, Casa Carmen, Mission Ceviche, Amasa and iconic places in the Hamptons like Pierre's, Dopo Il Ponte, Feniks and T-Bar, in addition to being available in liquor stores and for purchase online. Sotol Romo Blanco launches this summer at an SRP of $79, with a Reposado following in the fall at $89.

Positioned as summer's new luxury Mexican spirit, Sotol Romo is puro, made 100% Sotol, additive free, kosher, made just with three ingredients: plant, water, and natural yeast. The plant takes 15-20 years to mature contrary to agave which takes ca 7 years. The process of producing sotol follows the same basic steps as tequila or mezcal. It begins by cutting the sotol plant—which can be male or female and grow up to 11 feet tall—to harvest its heart, or piña. The piña is cooked in an underground oven, crushed, fermented with natural yeast, and distilled twice.

Launching over the 4th of July weekend, Sotol Romo is emerging as the third pillar of Mexican spirits after tequila and mezcal. Built for fine dining and private clubs, it pairs perfectly with fresh crudos and seasonal ingredients, making it ideal for light spritzes and crisp summer cocktails.

While still relatively unknown to mainstream consumers, sotol has been gaining traction among bartenders, tastemakers, and specialty retailers. "Sotol is experiencing double-digit percentage growth in the 2020s as bartenders and mixologists discover the Mexican spirit's unique profile, with further expansion projected ahead," according to IWSR data cited by Park Street Insider.

"Mezcal was the dress rehearsal," said Richard Betts, Co-Founder at Casa Komos Brands Group and one of the spirits industry's leading category builders. "After 30 years in this industry, you learn to recognize when something is truly special. Sotol Romo is bottled as 100% Sotol Puro using exclusively Dasylirion cedrosanum, which gives the liquid its clean, dry, mineral, restrained, and elegant profile. It arrives exactly where modern consumer taste is heading. I believe sotol has the potential to become mainstream in years, not decades." Sotol Romo is launching as a joint venture with Casa Komos Brands Group

 "Since its announcement during Super Bowl week, Sotol Romo has generated real momentum, appearing at Davos, Cannes Lions, Wall Street Journal CEO dinners, and Bloomberg events, reaching audiences very few emerging brands can access." said Dia Simms, Advisor to Sotol Romo and CEO of Pronghorn.

"People are drinking less, but better. And we aim to give them better with Sotol Romo," said Claudia Romo Edelman, Founder and CEO of Sotol Romo. "We are deeply committed to the accounts building this category with us. Sotol Romo will invest heavily in education, content creation, and digital storytelling to create real consumer excitement around the bartenders, retailers, and communities bringing this spirit to life."

A new live digital map is now available to show New Yorkers exactly where to find Sotol Romo. It launches alongside 'Flavors of Sotol,' a content series featuring the city's top restaurants and bars that serve the spirit.

About Sotol Romo

Sotol Romo is an ultra-premium Mexican sotol brand founded by Claudia Romo Edelman and produced in Chihuahua, Mexico. Crafted from 100% Dasylirion cedrosanum and bottled as Sotol 100% Puro, Sotol Romo is additive-free and crafted with three ingredients only: sotol plant, water, and natural yeast. Rooted in Northern Mexican heritage and expressed through Mexican modern luxury, the company was created as a joint venture with Casa Komos Beverage Group, whose distribution footprint spans 50 U.S. states and 40 countries.

Sotol Romo's mission is to help elevate and mainstream sotol globally, with the broader vision that sotol can do for Northern Mexico what tequila did for the south: create jobs, opportunity, pride, and long-term economic prosperity.

For media inquiries, interviews, or tasting requests:

Marisa Garcia
Head of Communications
[email protected]
www.sotolromo.com

SOURCE Sotol Romo