Viva Vino Mezcal
Not all tequilas are created equal. I repeat: not all tequilas are created equal! The spirit has a long history in its native country of Mexico, and was originally referred to as vino de mezcal when Spanish colonizers arrived and discovered the people native to the land drinking a drink, then called pulque, that they distilled from the agave plant. We fawn over wine producers, inquire as to the conditions in which our meat is raised before it meets our plate, and obsess over farmers market produce. I’m here to make the case that the quality and integrity of the tequila and mezcal you drink should be considered with the same degree of care and respect.
While #NationalMargaritaDay had everyone excited for a grammable marg, I saw an opportunity to educate you on the finer points of the agave distillate. As tequila and mezcal continue to increase in popularity in the US (and the world), producers feel the pressure to create more product. Since time is money, bigger producers cut corners, expediting the production process in order to benefit from the increased demand. Don’t misunderstand me – I’m not about to go on an anti-capitalism diatribe. But I am going to show you how the traditionally sacred bev, native only to certain regions of Mexico, runs the risk of losing touch with its roots. The rise of demand for mezcal and tequila outside of Mexico, if not acknowledged and accounted for, could lead to the degradation of the agriculture and culture (writ large) that are inextricably connected to the identity of mezcal.
Before we move forward, let’s define our terms. Tequila is simply mezcal from the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It’s the same idea as champagne being sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. Champagne and tequila are denominations of origin which designate a region, city or town from which a product hails. Whatever the product, it earns its unique characteristics and identifying marks thanks to where it comes from (both the land and the people). All that said, I’ll use the term mezcal moving forward to refer to mezcal and also to tequila.
Mezcal is native to Mexico and is considered a sacred beverage. Distilled from the agave plant, mezcal is synonymous with culture and respect and predates Spanish colonization. Other spirits made from grapes, botanicals or grains are distilled from plants that can be harvested every year. Not mezcal. For a mezcal to be produced in the traditional method, the agave plant must grow for at least eight years before being harvested. That’s a long time! And implies that mezcal is also synonymous with patience.
Chances are the mezcal you’ve encountered thus far has been industrially produced. In other words: agave distillates made with the express purpose of being produced in high volume to be sold to the masses. Because the name of the game here is volume and profit, these kinds of mezcal are almost exclusively produced with the assistance of a diffuser. This tool allows for the distillation of a three year old agave as opposed to an eight-plus year old plant. As you might suspect, rushing the process of production alters the resulting product. Essentially, what is gained in time is lost in quality and nuance. While the official rules of mezcal production allow for additives, the rules state that only 1% of a mezcal’s volume can come from the additive(s) in question and still be billed as 100% agave. And since the establishment of that rule, producers of additives have become extremely sophisticated and birthed a stable of highly concentrated additives that can do a lot of the heavy lifting for a poorly and quickly produced spirit. Thus, the commercially produced mezcal that you see most often at bars and liquor stores results not only from a process only loosely based on the traditional production style but also a spirit that’s only palatable thanks to the help of additives. Furthermore, the uptick in demand for mezcal has interrupted the natural cultivation of the agave plant, threatening a decrease in genetic diversity within the species. And we all know from commercial farming in the States what that leads to: sick crops, lower yields, and an incentive to rely heavily on chemical pesticides. No bueno. One more thing I’ll add about the implications of industrially produced mezcal is a consideration of the ways in which high volume production must, by definition, diminish the work (and compensation) of the jimador who is basically an agave doula. The jimador relies on time as an integral part of this craft: the time it took him to gain his expertise, the time it took his teachers to show him the trade, and the time it takes for an agave to grow and be turned into vino mezcal.
Ok. I know. That’s a lot of information. And I also know it’s like “what do I do with this information?” I think the best move is to start asking questions about the mezcal you drink. Ask to see the bottle of a brand you’re curious to try. Then read it. Sounds simple, right? You’d be surprised how infrequently people do it. Most of us make our buying decision based on what a friend or trusted source has recommended. Not many of us are comfortable coming to our own conclusions about what to choose. Also, you get what you pay for. A cheaper spirit is probably of lower quality than is ideal. Here are some pieces of info to look for on the bottle so you can begin to make your own decisions about which mezcal to enjoy:
- ABV (alcohol by volume) > 45%
- Name of producer: N.B. this is different than the brand’s name. Displaying the name of the producer is a sign of respect for the art and tradition of mezcal.
- Village in which the spirit was made
- Type of agave used
- Date of distillation
- How long the agave grew before it was harvested
- How the agave was mashed (by hand?)
When it comes to transparency, the more information shared on the bottle, the better. Still overwhelmed about how to use all this delicious info with which we’re blessing you? I got you!
Here are some brands I love (both tequila and mezcal):
For even more options, you can find an extensive list here of all additive-free tequilas.
Last but not least, if you’re DYING to learn more about the world of mezcal, check out Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal, and the Politics of Production by Sarah Bowen.
Finally, a special thank you to Gino Pellarin, Agave Advocate, for taking the time to break down the goings on of the mezcal world so I could share the insight with my community.
