Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. It is a blanket term for any distilled spirit made from the agave plant, which is known in Mexico as a maguey. Mezcal is traditionally handcrafted by small-scale producers, and a village can contain dozens of production houses, each using methods that have been passed down from generation to generation. The farming, harvesting, and distillation processes have been passed down for generations, and distillers, known as mezcaleros, have found creative ways to fabricate the equipment they need for mezcal production. Mezcal is meant to be sipped neat, and there are industrial mezcal producers, but most mezcals are made in rural areas by Mexican families who don’t have access to expensive machinery.
Some key facts about mezcal include:
-
Origin: The origin of mezcal is tied to the introduction of distillation technology which was introduced to New Spain either by the Spanish or Filipino sailors.
-
Types: There are more than 200 types of agave plants, 45 to 50 of which are used to make mezcal.
-
Flavor: Mezcal has a slightly smoky flavor, which comes from the traditional method of roasting magueys in a pit covered with firewood and rocks.
-
Price: The price of a bottle of mezcal can range from $20 to $350 or more, and most of the mezcal produced in Mexico is classified as artisanal, which means its produced in small batches mostly by hand.
-
Serving: Mezcal is traditionally sipped neat, but it can also be used in cocktails.
In summary, mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave, and it is traditionally handcrafted by small-scale producers using methods that have been passed down for generations. Mezcal has a slightly smoky flavor and is meant to be sipped neat, but it can also be used in cocktails.
