Mezcal is a distilled spirit made from agave plants grown in different regions of Mexico. To be identified as mezcal, the spirit needs to be bottled at the place of origin and should not be exported in bulk the way other spirits are.
There are eight regions in Mexico from where mezcal comes, Oaxaca being the most popular. Some mezcal brands have an insect larva in the bottles, which is said to have hallucinatory perks attached to it. But it has been established that adding the insect larva is just a gimmick to entice tourists into buying a bottle of the spirit.
Tequila and mezcal, both are produced with the agave plants. There are a few differences between the two though, one being that mezcal can be produced with around 30 varieties of agave whereas tequila is produced with only the blue weber agave plant. This makes tequila a type of mezcal!
But both the spirits are cherished for their distinguished attributes. For starters, according to Mexican laws, tequila can be produced in only 5 regions of Mexico unlike the 8 regions permitted and recognised for mezcal. This affects the taste of the spirits as weather conditions affect the agave plantation. While mezcal has a smoky flavour, tequila has a smooth texture with flavourful sweet notes to it. This also has to do with how tequila is steamed in industrial ovens, which is a different process than that of mezcal’s. To produce mezcal, piñas – the heart of the agave plant, are cooked in a ground pit and then crushed and mixed with water for the fermentation process to take place.
The smoky flavour of mezcal allows it to be a versatile spirit, suitable for neat consumption or being used as a base spirit in cocktails. Many bartenders have started to use mezcal in place of whiskey, vodka and tequila in the original recipes of some classic cocktails to take it up a notch. But there are two mezcal cocktails that are popularly ordered wherever the liquor is available – Naked & Famous and Mezcalita.
Out of 200 species of the agave plant, only 30 or so have enough fermentable sugar which is required in the production of the spirit. Agave espadin is the most popular agave species to be used in manufacturing this wondrous spirit.
Recently, the world got to know a little more about mezcal when the much-loved stars of the acclaimed Breaking Bad series, Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston launched their own mezcal brand Dos Hombres Mezcal.
With mezcal gaining popularity, will we see the spirit making its way to India? I am going to place my bets on it! Tell us what you think in the comments below.
