It is plainly clear by now that Mezcal is
rapidly gaining status amongst its fellow spirits. The city of Los
Angeles is ever more welcoming to this drink in its bars and restaurants
with mixologists giving their best to create new and interesting
cocktails. Mezcal may be the fresh new discovery for many spirit
aficionados around the world however, if we consider Mezcal's presence
in its native Mexico, we discover a very rich and long history.
So what is Mezcal?
By definition, Mezcal is an alcoholic beverage made by distilling the fermented juice of the Maguey (Agave) plant. The Agave plant is endemic to a very large portion of the americas with about 330 species. Of the 150 species present in Mexico, 30 or so are used in the production of Mezcal. There are many Mezcals that are known by other names usually referring to the region they are produced in, for example: Bacanora and Tequila, to name a couple.
For a long time it was thought that the process of distillation was introduced to the Americas via the Spanish after the conquest of Mesoamerica, however, Recent archeological digs in Mexico have uncovered evidence of distillation practices dating back 10,000 years with similar processes to the ones we know of today giving Mezcal a much longer history than expected. That being said, the term Mezcal has only been used for about 400 years.
Today, over six million liters are produced in Mexico annually, with more than 150 brand names. Mezcal is sold in 27 countries with the U.S. as the number 1 importer.
What about Tequila?
Tequila is a Mezcal that is originally produced in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. The reason it has gained recognition all on its own is due to how it has set itself apart from other Mezcals:
First of all, it only uses one specific species of Maguey known as the Blue Weber Agave which the original producers decided was the best type of agave for their terroir.
Because of this, many people would ask for the "Mezcal from Tequila" and eventually shortening it to just "Tequila."
Today, Tequila is known as being a different beverage from Mezcal because of its difference in taste and production methods. Much like Scotch, Bourbon, Irish and Rye whisk(e)ys are also considered separately.
A Evening with Hipocrates Nolasco
On September 20th 2013 I attended a talk given by
Hipocrates Nolasco Cansino, the President of the National Council for Certification
and Quality of Mezcal. The event was organized by UNAM Los Angeles and was
held at Frida Restaurant in Westwood. Hipocrates spoke about Mezcal: its
history, its distillation and its future as a certified national product of
Mexico.
Hipocrates has studied agave and the production of Mezcal on a scientific basis and has a deep understanding of what goes on in its biological and chemical aspects dedicating much of his university career on those very subjects. He explained a little about the regulations that are proposed and also already in place in order to safeguard the future of Mezcal in Mexico and its longevity in the global economy. Mezcal has a status known as Denominación de Origen (DO) which certifies its production and quality as a national product. In this DO there are 7 states who are currently allowed to label their products as Mezcal. Giving regions this status guarantees consumers that the products are regulated to a certain standard of ingredients, practice and quality like many other countries have put in place for their national products.
This special event was sponsored by Los Angeles' very own Frida Restaurant in Westwood and also by El Silencio Mezcal, which we had the pleasure to taste while Hipocrates was enlightening us about the very interesting world surrounding the fine Mexican spirit of Mezcal.
What about the rest of Mexico?
It is important to note that the classification of DO leaves many producers out, forcing them to label their products as something else such as licor de agave. This does not mean that their products are inferior, in fact, there are many great producers. The DO status is somewhat young and hopefully it will be able to increase its certification to many more of those producers in the future.
But in the end I leave all of you with the very wise words of Ulises Torrentera, "el mejor mezcal es el que esta enfrente"
"The best Mezcal is the one right in front of you."
Enjoy!
http://www.mezcalpedia.com/
http://www.mezcalelsilencio.com/
http://mezcales.org/
http://www.todomezcal.com
http://www.fridarestaurant.com/
By definition, Mezcal is an alcoholic beverage made by distilling the fermented juice of the Maguey (Agave) plant. The Agave plant is endemic to a very large portion of the americas with about 330 species. Of the 150 species present in Mexico, 30 or so are used in the production of Mezcal. There are many Mezcals that are known by other names usually referring to the region they are produced in, for example: Bacanora and Tequila, to name a couple.
For a long time it was thought that the process of distillation was introduced to the Americas via the Spanish after the conquest of Mesoamerica, however, Recent archeological digs in Mexico have uncovered evidence of distillation practices dating back 10,000 years with similar processes to the ones we know of today giving Mezcal a much longer history than expected. That being said, the term Mezcal has only been used for about 400 years.
Today, over six million liters are produced in Mexico annually, with more than 150 brand names. Mezcal is sold in 27 countries with the U.S. as the number 1 importer.
What about Tequila?
Tequila is a Mezcal that is originally produced in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. The reason it has gained recognition all on its own is due to how it has set itself apart from other Mezcals:
First of all, it only uses one specific species of Maguey known as the Blue Weber Agave which the original producers decided was the best type of agave for their terroir.
Because of this, many people would ask for the "Mezcal from Tequila" and eventually shortening it to just "Tequila."
Today, Tequila is known as being a different beverage from Mezcal because of its difference in taste and production methods. Much like Scotch, Bourbon, Irish and Rye whisk(e)ys are also considered separately.
A Evening with Hipocrates Nolasco
On September 20th 2013 I attended a talk given by
Hipocrates Nolasco Cansino, the President of the National Council for Certification
and Quality of Mezcal. The event was organized by UNAM Los Angeles and was
held at Frida Restaurant in Westwood. Hipocrates spoke about Mezcal: its
history, its distillation and its future as a certified national product of
Mexico.Hipocrates has studied agave and the production of Mezcal on a scientific basis and has a deep understanding of what goes on in its biological and chemical aspects dedicating much of his university career on those very subjects. He explained a little about the regulations that are proposed and also already in place in order to safeguard the future of Mezcal in Mexico and its longevity in the global economy. Mezcal has a status known as Denominación de Origen (DO) which certifies its production and quality as a national product. In this DO there are 7 states who are currently allowed to label their products as Mezcal. Giving regions this status guarantees consumers that the products are regulated to a certain standard of ingredients, practice and quality like many other countries have put in place for their national products.
This special event was sponsored by Los Angeles' very own Frida Restaurant in Westwood and also by El Silencio Mezcal, which we had the pleasure to taste while Hipocrates was enlightening us about the very interesting world surrounding the fine Mexican spirit of Mezcal.
What about the rest of Mexico?
It is important to note that the classification of DO leaves many producers out, forcing them to label their products as something else such as licor de agave. This does not mean that their products are inferior, in fact, there are many great producers. The DO status is somewhat young and hopefully it will be able to increase its certification to many more of those producers in the future.
But in the end I leave all of you with the very wise words of Ulises Torrentera, "el mejor mezcal es el que esta enfrente"
"The best Mezcal is the one right in front of you."
Enjoy!
http://www.mezcalpedia.com/
http://www.mezcalelsilencio.com/
http://mezcales.org/
http://www.todomezcal.com
http://www.fridarestaurant.com/
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