MEZCAL: History, geography, culture, & production Lorenz Agave Spirits

Objectives What is mezcal? What are the different categories and classes of mezcal? Where is mezcal produced? What do we mean by wild agaves? How are the agaves harvested? How is mezcal made? What is the history of mezcal? What’s the difference between tequila and mezcal? What’s the deal with the worm?

What is mezcal? Spirit made from the cooked and fermented juice of the heart of a succulent plant Agave sp. (~28-40 species, many varieties ) Not a cactus! More related to yucca and lily May be cultivated or wild (silvestre) Distilled twice or more Possibly aged in barrels Bottled at 35-55% alcohol Sometimes 38-40% alcohol Artisanal mezcal bottled at 45-55%

What is mezcal? Certified for export from only 8 states of Mexico and nowhere else Traditionally produced all across Mexico Regulated by the Consejo Mexicano Regulador de la Calidad del Mezcal A.C. (COMERCAM) 1994 Appellation of Origin designated by the Government of Mexico 2005 Mezcal NOM-070 (AOC) – Updated the Norm for the Mezcal name and production methods under a Denomination of Origin, agreed to by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Agave Species Used Selected agave species used Espadín (Agave angustifolia) 90% of Oaxacan mezcal Tobala (Agave potatorum)

Agave Species Used Agave sp. Barril (Agave karwinskii var.) Madrecuixe (Agave karwinskii var.) Blue agave (Agave tequilana) Mexicano (Agave rhodacantha) Arruqueño (Agave Americana var. Oaxacensis) Tepeztate (Agave marmorata) Many others…

Agave Species Used

Agave Species Used

Where is mezcal produced? Mezcal’s Denomination of Origin Oaxaca – 80+% Zacatecas San Luis Potosí Guerrero Durango Guanajuato Tamaulipas Michoacan*

Where is mezcal produced? Mezcal’s Denomination of Origin Oaxaca

Where is mezcal produced? Oaxaca Santiago Matatlán, Tlacolula, San Agustín de las Juntas, Sola de Vega, Miahuatlán, Yautepec, Ocotlán, Ejutla, Zimatlán, etc.

Where is mezcal produced? SAN JUAN DEL RIO, TLACOLULA

Where is mezcal produced? SAN AGUSTÍN DE LAS JUNTAS

How are the agaves grown & harvested? Harvested at maturity (between 8-15 years old) Depends upon terroir factors – climate, altitude, soil, water 

How are the agaves grown & harvested? Jima Palenquero uses a machete or coa to remove pencas from the agave What remains is the piña or cabeza Pencas used for compost, fertilizer or fiber production Small amounts may be added to fermentation process

How is mezcal made? Cooking the agaves to convert starch to sugar Agave piñas are traditionally roasted in stone- lined pits over hot coals, and covered in bagazo or bagasse A few are now roasted in hornos or autoclaves as with tequila

How is mezcal made? Milling or crushing – Traditional Molino or tahona

How is mezcal made? Fermenting the juice or mosto Open air Wild yeasts Con bagazo or sin bagazo

How is mezcal made? Distillation Methods

How is mezcal made? Distillation Methods Traditional Batch – Pot still / Alembic still

How is mezcal made? Distillation Methods Traditional Mezcal de olla Uses a clay pot instead of copper

How is mezcal made? Distillation Methods Modern Batch – Pot still / Alembic still Copper or stainless steel

How is mezcal made? Distillation Methods First Second Shi-shi (22-30%)

What are the categories and classes of mezcal? Mezcal 100% agave Mezcal (80% agave) Joven (unaged) Reposado (2-12 months) Añejo (> 1 year)

How is mezcal made? Aging (or not) Factors Barrel wood type Barrel toast/char Temperature Humidity Alcohol content New vs. used

When was mezcal first produced? “Mezcal” – what’s in a name? From Mezcalmetl or Mexcalli – Nahua terms meaning “agave/maguey that has been cooked” Not “mescal”, no relation to mescaline Central Highlands (Aztec) mythology indicates that a lightning strike on a large maguey first alerted ancient Mesoamericans to the benefits of roasting agaves

When was mezcal first produced? Fermented mezcal – “mezcal beer” Precursors Evidence of agave heart consumption circa 7000 BC (Ocampo Caves, Tamaulipas) Evidence of pit-roasting of agave hearts circa 5000 BC (Hinds Cave, Texas) Done to convert starches to sugary sweet food or liquid Still sold as candy in mercados today Evidence of fermentation of this liquid circa 400 AD (Santa Barbara, Colima) – likely much earlier Evidence of pre-hispanic distillation?

When was mezcal first produced? Fermented mezcal/maguey Commonly produced in West Mexico (Jalisco, Colima, Nayarít, Michoacan) in pre-Hispanic times Called vino mezcal by 16th century Spaniards Fermentation of baked or roasted agave piñas produced something very similar to the mosto used to distill mezcal & tequila Technically a beer Cooked, fermented, then drunk

When was mezcal first produced? Pulque or octli poliqhui 200 AD or earlier Central Mexico Mainly used by political and religious elites in rituals Taboos against commoners imbibing alcohol in the Aztec empire

When was mezcal first produced? Pulque or octli poliqhui Made by fermenting aguamiel The fresh sap of certain maguey/agave species including Agave salmiana & A. angustifolia Vessels included clay pots and animal skins

When was mezcal first produced? Pulque or octli poliqhui Approximately 3-5% alcohol Like a sour, citric, milky, Belgian beer Pulquerias undergoing a resurgence in Mexican cities today

When was mezcal first produced? Spanish Mexico 1519 – Hernan Cortez makes first contact with Mexica/Aztecs at Tenochtitlan 1521 – Conquest Spaniards brought distillation with them from the Old World Alambiques or alembic stills from Moorish/Arab peoples Once they ran out of the brandy they brought with them…

When was mezcal first produced? Spanish Mexico Sought to make brandy in Mexico Tried to distill both fermented “mezcal beer” and pulque Pulque less suitable Complex carbohydrates (Inulin - polymerized fructose/starches) vs. simple (sugars) Pulque magueys host certain unfavorable bacteria Lower alcohol than fermented mosto of cooked agave Settled upon fermented mezcal beverage 1535 – First recorded Spanish distillation of so- called vino mezcal

What is the relationship between tequila and mezcal? Traditionally, tequila is a specific type of mezcal Mezcal formerly had no Denomination of Origin Before this time, it was said that “All tequila is mezcal, but all mezcal is NOT tequila” Mezcal was simply the main agave spirit made everywhere outside the tequila region, and with other agaves Now, mezcal is a specific spirit (according to the COMERCAM and CRT) mutually exclusive from tequila in terms of type of agave and region

What about the worm? Gimmick leading to ritual of consumption for machismo purposes Gusano is an agave moth larvae & a pest Many myths Symbiotic to plant Hallucinogenic to eat Aphrodesiac to eat If there’s any authenticity at all… Oaxaceños have long consumed dried and seasoned insects and their larvae for protein Today grasshoppers and dried worms with chile, spices and salt are popular snacks Sal de gusano also an accompaniment to mezcal

Concluding remarks Salud y gracias!

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