All I know about Mexican Mezcal

You all might know now that I love mexican drinks. I lived there some years and I have a genuine fascination for them. Now I would like to tell you what I know about the mezcal. I took some information from this mexican travel website. I hope you like it!

The Mezcal is another name for the maguey plant. In addition, Mezcal is the generic name for all distilled spirits of agave, and the name of a regional drink, similar to tequila, but usually produced and consumed in the state of Oaxaca. Please note that Mezcal is not the same as the Tequila. Technically, tequila is a form of mezcal, better known as "Tequila's mezcal".

Unlike Tequila, Mezcal can be made from 11 types of endemic agave from Oaxaca, as quishe, PASMO, tepestate, Tobala, Sprat, LARGO, pulque, Blue, White, ciereago, and Mexican. This diversity creates a range similar to varieties of grape flavors. About 90% of mezcal is made from the agave ESPADIN. Mezcal is native to the states of San Luis Potosí, Michoacán, Jalisco, Durango, Morelos, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.

The fermented agave juice goes back to pre-Columbian times, when the booze was declared "a gift from the gods" by the chief priests and only consumed during sacrificial offerings to the gods and for medicinal use.

When the Spanish conquistadors arrived 400 years ago distillation techniques of the native inhabitants of Mexico were taught and thus was born the first distilled spirit in the Americas: Mezcal.

The Mexican state of Oaxaca is the official home of Mezcal and a traditional center for making Mezcal in Mexico, which produces 60 percent of the country Mezcal. Because Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, has a huge stake in the success of Mezcal abroad.

Mezcal producers in the villages of Oaxaca still using the same traditional method of roasting agave underground wells firewood, and distilling in small batches, copper stills. One of the major beverage rustic, rural Oaxaca - Mezcal is the traditional toast of choice on ceremonial occasions such as baptisms, weddings and village festivals. A vital aspect of the Zapotec and Mixtec culture native, Mezcal is gradually becoming very appreciated by connoisseurs of fine spirits around the world.The mezcal producers expect demand agave will rise as consumers around the world are attracted to the drink proudly described as "the cognac of Oaxaca."

Mezcal, like a whiskey or whiskey, has many variations and characteristics. The priciest, smooth, and aged in oak barrels amber Mezcal, can sell for more than $ 60 a bottle. At the lower end of the spectrum is the clear, Mezcal burning throat which usually has a worm. This product has the "young" or "young" label. As Europeans specific products, such as wine and cheese origin, Mezcal is protected as "designation of origin". Official Mexican Standard (Norma Oficial Mexicana) acts as a form of support in the process of certification, verification and monitoring of Mezcal.

Whatever the reason, the Mezcal is still known by the worm in the bottle.