Mezcal

Mezcal (or mescal) (/mɛsˈkæl/ (About this sound listen)) is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli [meʃˈkalːi] metl [met͡ɬ] and ixcalli [iʃˈkalːi] which means “oven-cooked agave”.

Note: Artisinal Mezcal is cooked on a open fire pit, and usually a unique Agave plant.

The agave grows in many parts of Mexico, though most mezcal is made in Oaxaca. It can also be made in Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Michoacan and the recently approved Puebla. A saying attributed to Oaxaca regarding the drink is: “Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también.” (“For everything bad, mezcal, and for everything good as well.”).

It is unclear whether distilled drinks were produced in Mexico before the Spanish Conquest. The Spaniards were introduced to native fermented drinks such as pulque, made from the maguey plant. Soon, the conquistadors began experimenting with the agave plant to find a way to make a distillable fermented mash. The result was mezcal.

Today, mezcal is still made from the heart of the agave plant, called the piña, much the same way it was 200 years ago, in most places.  In Mexico, mezcal is generally consumed straight and has a strong smoky flavour. Though mezcal is not as popular as tequila (made specifically from the blue agave in select regions of the country)

Despite the similar name, mezcal does not contain mescaline or other psychedelic substances.