Herb classes at Pearl Hour explore the flavors of craft spirits, and much more.

There are no spirits association contests for a good reason. Vodka? That’s Russia. Bourbon? We’re going with the U.S., Regis – Kentucky, to be specific. Tequila, distilled from the agave plant? Mexico, of course. But hold up a minute. “There are a lot of other things that grow in Mexico,” observes Katie Blandin, owner of Pearl Hour in Monterey.

One of those things is sugarcane, and that means rum. Uruapan Charanda flickers slightly on the palate with a gentle impression of toasted bread and ripening fruit. Kalani is a rum-based coconut liqueur that casts a pleasant spell. The Oaxacan favorite, Paranubes, is potent, but with a soft landing as hints of banana, vanilla and freshly-plucked petals caress the palate.

“My fascination started when I tasted this,” Blandin says while pouring Paranubes for a recent tasting titled “Not Agave: Spirits from Mexico,” part of a monthly series she leads exploring spirits and liqueurs, as well as the herbs and other ingredients that define their flavors. A previous evening focused on a craft amaro, Amara.

Blandin refers to the gatherings as “herb classes.” Tasting spirits – many of them unfamiliar – is part of the process, but so is understanding the relationship of the product to the people and the land. She introduces guests to the parched and bitter gentian root, for instance, or the aromatic shrub damiani. It’s sipping with a higher purpose.

Classes take place at Pearl Hour on the last Thursday of every month. Next up is agave spirits on Sept. 26.

Pearl Hour, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. pearlhour.com