Dasylirion is a genus of succulent, rosette-forming plants in the Asparagaceae family (where it is included in the Nolinoideae subfamily).

The leaves blades are long-linear, evergreen and numerous, and are arranged into rosettes, living for several years and remaining persistent even after dying leading to the formation of a skirt around the plant.

Across Mexico, Dasylirion species are native to 20 states, with the greatest numbers found in San Luis Potosí, followed by Chihuahua, Coahuila and Zacatecas.

[4] Native Americans would bake or roast the crown of the plant in rock-lined pits before drying and pounding to form a flour that was then made into cakes.

The indigenous peoples of the Chihuahuan desert, such as the Jumano Pueblos and the Lipan Apache have made this traditional drink for centuries.

[4][12][13] Other indigenous peoples of Chihuahua, such as the Rarámuri, fermented sotol juice into a beer-like alcoholic beverage as early as 800 years ago.

[13] Distillation technology was introduced in the 16th century by early Filipino immigrants who arrived via the Manila galleons to the coastal regions of western Mexico.