There is a saying in México: “For all bad, Mezcal and for all good, Mezcal too”
The Mezcal is obtained from different Agave varieties (limeño, raicilla, pata de mula, bovicornuta, cupreata, etc) and the Tequila is only obtained from the Agave Azul Tequilana Weber and some varieties of it. Mezcal is considered a finished product after only one destilation process and Tequila requires at least two destilations processes and it is meticucously filtered to eliminate any impureness to get a softer flavor.
Mezcal has a more concentrated color and a much more agressive flavor that tastes a bit smoked, for the tradition of burning the piñas of the Agave in a “Floor oven”, under ground, that is indeed one of the qualities of Mezcal.
The worm inside the bottle is characteristic of some Mezcales, NEVER of a Tequila!
The Mezcal producers say that the worm, uses the agave mezcalero plant to feed himself and it has in the body a bigger concentration of it, so keeping it inside the bottle will give the Mezcal a better taste. There are red and white worms being this last one the most appreciated. In the Agave Mezcalero plantations, the worm is looked for and even cultivated. In the Blue Agave Tequila plantations it is considered a plague that must be removed fast because it weakens the plant.
The Tequila Agave is completely different also from the Maguey for Pulque.
The Maguey is another kind or agave, called atrovirens Kawr or manso.
This Maguey was very used in the Prehispanic times. The códices talk about 17 different forms of this plant. The Fertility Godess of the Mexicas, “Mayahuel” is supposed to have been converted into Maguey to become the symbol of survival.
The “Pulque”, was a ritual beverage for the Indians and it was a fermentation of the honey extracted directly from the plant and it is consumed up to our days.
The Tequila is NOT made from the Pulque as some people think; it is destiled after the sugars of the cooked hearts of another Agave type, the Tequilana Weber, better known as Blue Agave.
In 1995 the Mezcal got the Origin Denomination under the strict following of the Mexican Official Norm, the areas registered as Mezcal producers are: Oaxaca, Guerrero, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Durango, Tamaulipas and Guanajuato.The word Mezcal is the fusion between “Metl” and “Ixcalli” two Nahuatl words that mean “Cooked Maguey”
Some factors are determine the flavor, color, body, aroma and pureness: the type of Agave used, the variety of the Mezcal itself: One is made 100% of Agave and the other is 80% Agave and 20% other sugars and the cathegory: the white mezcal, better known as young or blanco, obtained directly from the sugars of the Agave. The Reposado or Mature, that is aged for 2 months in Oak or Encino barrels and the Añejo, that it´s aged for at least one year in Oak barrels for getting a bitter taste with lots of body.
Mezcal with or without worm is pearled, perfumed…an elixir that leaves a marvelous taste and a pleasure feeling, that passes over your throat slowly…without grasping, just like a good Mezcal should be and it should not make you feel sick. The best way to know if a Mezcal is really authentic is to shake the bottle and “see the pearls” (small bubbles that form in the surface)
And dont forget: “A sip of Mezcal takes away the pain of life and another sip of Mezcal, takes away the pain of Mezcal”!
Salud…and Viva México!!!
