Mezcal is considered by many people as the most authentic of all the Mexican distilled spirits. Why? Because unlike Tequila which is often exported in bulk, Mezcal can only be exported in bottle, and NEVER in bulk, so it’s always properly controlled and authentic, which explains why it is generally much more expensive than Tequila. The word, ‘Mezcal’ originates from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs meaning ‘cooked pineapple’.

Mezcal Lajita is made from maguey such as these

People often wrongly refer to Mezcal, as sic.’Tequila with the worm’ ; this is not so ! Tequila is distilled in the northern state of Jalisco, and Mezcal is distilled in the South near the Gulf of Mexico, in and around the state of Oaxaca (pronounced WO - HA - KA )

Mezcal is produced from one of the members of the Agave family of succulents (not to be confused with the cactus family), and known among Mexicans as the ‘Maguey plant’. The Maguey (actually an Indian name) plant has been cultivated in Mexico for millennia, depicted in earliest records by the indigenous Indians. The Maguey plant over the centuries has been an integral part of the way of life and culture of the Indians of Mexico, long before the Spanish Conquistadors of Cortez arrived. The Indians historically made a fermented beverage called ‘pulque’, a sweet beer-like drink, considered sacred under the protection of ‘Mayahauel’, the Aztec goddess of the maguey plant and legendary foster mother. Pulque would be imbibed at religious ceremonies, but drunkenness was much frowned upon and severely punished, sometimes even by death. The Maguey plant fibres were used to make thread, string, and for weaving. Paper was made out of its pulp, hut roofs were constructed from its leaves and needles and hooks from its thorns ; truly a plant central to the everyday lives of the Indians. Even today, it’s used for making Honey (miel de agave), syrup, thread, needles, fabric etc etc. Historically, pulque could be said to be the fermented predecessor of both Mezcal and Tequila.

The use of Maguey to produce Mezcal dates from the Colonial Age when the Spanish applied the technique of distillation to juice derived from cooking the heart of the locally grown Maguey plant thus turning it into a fermented beverage. It’s perhaps ironic the Spaniards learned of ‘distillation’ from the Moslem Arabs, (around the time of the Moorish invasion of Spain in the 17th century). Even though the Spaniards banned the Indians from producing Mezcal, the art of distillation was soon learned by the Indian population, adapting it to the utensils they had on hand, using vessels of baked clay instead of copper. Mezcal was used in religious ceremonies by the Indians and was considered a purifier of the soul (perhaps difficult to substantiate to a present day Trading Standards Officer !), because on drinking it was thought to rid the body of ‘evil spirits’... The Indian teachers or ‘men with knowledge’, were branded as witches by the Spaniards, but regarded by the Indians as the interface between man and the gods whom they consulted about all matters including when to plant, what to plant, and which potions could be used against diseases ; Mezcal figured greatly!

During the Colonial Age, Mezcal was extensively traded through the exchange of products among the Indian groups from Central Valley to the High South Sierra Mountains - the origins of the Mezcal Export Trade ! Limited Mezcal production started in the 18th century, increasing especially during the Mexican Revolution ; demand greatly increasing as the South of Mexico increased its commercial and demographic links with the North, and eventually Mezcal exports slowly began.

THE AGAVE PLANT (Belonging to the Amaryllis Family - Amarillydaceae) Latin name : Aloe augustifoli, Aloe karwinskii. Aloe salmania var. and Aloe weber (Tequila blue agave). The Agave plant comprises thick and pulpy leaves (‘pencas’) that end in a hard spine, which originate from a central trunk, somewhat like a huge pineapple !

Occasionally it happens that an unfortunate rider is thrown from his horse on to an Agave plant - he would likely be impaled on the fearsome spikes - reminiscent of the punishment meted out by his Aztec ancestors. When the Agave plants reach maturity, a long stem grows very quickly (‘quiote’) that measure from 4 - 5 meters in height, producing yellow and white flowers. The Agave reaches maturity in 6 to 12 years depending on the variety. In Oaxaca, where Mezcal is produced, the ‘Espadin’ variety predominates.

The Agave requires no irrigation, being perfectly perfectly adapted to these arid areas, where no other arable crops nor cattle could survive. The Agave was always considered by the Indians a holy and mystical plant which was a gift from the gods. Its use as a medicine became very popular and it was said that on imbibing it allowed the spirit of the people to communicate with their gods ! The average weight of each plant varies according to the area ; one from the South Range weighs up to 70 kilos and from the Central Valley 50 kilos on average.

The agave are grown in plantations in rows about 3.5 metres apart and the plants about 2 metres one from the other - much farther apart that found in the more fertile and less arid Tequila plantations up North in Jalisco Province. The new budding plantlets are cut-off and separated from the 3 year old parent plants, and re-planted (known as ‘vegetative reproduction’.) If left uncut these would grow to maturity attached to the older plants, but are far less suitable in terms of their productivity and their vigour.

It’s generally reckoned that the Agave will grow 1000 to 2000 per hectare and take around 8 years on average to mature. Each plant on average 50 Kilos giving approximately 5 litres of distilled Mezcal.

Unlike Tequila, which is ‘industrially produced’ from the Maguey plant through ‘steaming’ in sealed vaults, or stainless steel pressure cookers, the technique for making Mezcal remains true to the traditions used by the Spanish Conquistadors in the XVI th century, and remarkably little has changed. It consists of five steps : the culture of the plant, cooking in a lined covered hole in the ground or clay oven, pounding, fermenting, and distilling.

Depending on the soil exposure, the maguey plant will be cultivated some six to twelve years before harvesting a crop (harvesting is known as the ‘jima’ ) . When the plant reaches maturity, the leaves (las pencas) will be cut off with a machete, and the roots are cut away with a heavy semi-rounded blade on a long rod, (known in Jalisco as a ‘coa’.) The core will then look like an enormous pineapple (therefore its name ‘pina’ - meaning a pineapple) weighing 30 to 50 Kilos and it is cut from the plant leaving only a stump behind. (The heart of the Pina gives the best juice.) The ‘pina’ will be cut lengthways into halves with an axe, and thrown into a clay oven which effectively is an eight foot wide hole dug in the ground, made with fireproof bricks and preheated with wood. The whole will be covered with Maguey leaves, fireproof stones and clay and then left alone to braise for two (to three days). This braising gives Mezcal its particular smoky taste and flavour.

Finally, a stone wheel (tahona) is drawn round and round by mules / ‘burros’ which grinds the cooked fibres of the Maguey in order to separate the pulp from the fibre. This is then macerated in pure water, and with the help of the local airborne yeasts, the fermentation begins and lasts several days producing a ‘beer like juice known as ‘mosto’, similar to the production of the Indian alcoholic drink ‘Pulque’. produced directly from the Agave sap. (Pulque has been made from pre-Columbian times up to the present, and usually drunk in men-only Pulque cantinas known as ‘pulquerias’ rarely visited by tourists).

The fermented liquid is then distilled through a double copper, coming over at 43% - 46% and then broken down with de-ionised water to 40% normally. Most domestic Mezcal (unlike Tequila) is distilled twice and for export markets where a higher quality is required, Mezcal Lajita is distilled three times to eliminate any impurities, especially methanol and excesses of copper which are commonly found in some Mezcal ! The mezcal is then left to mature for a minimum of 3 months to over a year (as in the case of Mezcal Lajita).

As an interesting side-note, it may be mentioned here that in some species of Maguey plant an ‘innoque worm’ makes its home. The worm known as the ‘gusano’ is really a grub or larva of the ‘night-butterfly’ which originates from a small egg left by the butterfly on a Maguey leaf. At the time of birth, the larva burrows into the heart of the Maguey where it it is protected from outside predators,growing to maturity. Once mature, it transforms into a chrysalis and then into a butterfly, unless we find it first and put the larva into a bottle of Mezcal Lajita ! (Latin name : Chilocuil cossus redtembachi).

This ‘red worm’ known colloquially as the ‘chinicuil’ is collected from June to September from the heart of the Agave plant. The collecting is very hard and difficult as the worm must not be damaged in any way, otherwise the Mezcal would become cloudy ! The right climatic conditions of great heat and humidity are awaited when the worm leaves the plant and may be collected. Ideally they are collected in the rains when the ‘worms’ come out on their own (usually by a few well-known local families who over the generations have earned their living collecting worms carefully prodding them out using the spines of the end of the agave leaf). More destructively and therefore much disliked by the owners of the agave, is the other method whereby an ‘infected’ agave plant is uprooted and destroyed by the collector to get at the worms, which sell from 20 to 40 US cents per worm! With anything up to a normal 200 - 500 per affected plant, it’s easy to see how lucrative worm collecting is.

Actually there is a shortage of worms (much prized also in the local restaurants for cooking in Oaxaqueno recipes). The ‘infecting’ of the Agave is a natural process, which could not be artificially enhanced. It is vital that just this larva is used and not just any larva, as the innoque gusano is especially valued and regarded as pure and nutritious, and CLEAN. Once a year the gusanos are laboriously collected and preserved in Mezcal until bottling. The gusano has been eaten as a part of the local cuisine since the pre-hispanic age for its outstanding taste and aroma and its richness of proteins, hence it is not surprising that is is added to some Mezcal for added flavour, and that certain extra ‘je ne sais quoi’ ! It is possible to obtain white mezcal which is traditionally bottled without a worm, ( ~ for the less adventurous !) Dietary Data of the worm :- (for the weight conscious !) 58.3% protein and 30.16% fats / oils. Locally the worm is fried and eaten with tomato and chilli sauces.

The Region of ‘Oaxaca’ is best known as the Home of Mezcal, however Mezcal is also produced in other Mexican States, in the Centre of Mexico from Guadalajara up to Torreon, then stretching out from Manzanillo to Accapulco. Oaxaca state is located south of National territory, among the 19’ and 15’ degrees North latitude and 93’ and 99’ West longitude. It occupies a part of the South Sierra Madre, some areas of the Transversal Volcanic Range and a part of the province of American Central Cordillera. Oaxaca is surrounded by four states, and bounded to the North by Veracruz and Puebla, to the East by Chiapas, to the West by Guerrero and to the South by the Pacific Ocean, having a length of 509 km. The province of Oaxaca covers 93.000 square km. ( 4.7% of the country ). The weather changes from very humid to dry, from hot to medium temperature with summer rains and high drought in the half of the year and its temperature varies from 12C. to 35C. with rainfall of 40 - 80 cms p.a. Of the total land surface, only 13,6% is used for agriculture (1,267,460 hectares) of which only 118,692 hectares are irrigated leaving a great potential for the Maguey plant cultivation which is one of the few plants that adapts itself to the semi-arid climate of Oaxaca.

Mezcal spirit distilled from agave, is comparable as ‘Cognac is to wine’ or ‘Malt whisky is to beer’. It is a strong spirit normally 40% - 43% alcohol by volume and it has been alleged to contain a minute quantity of an alkaloid (mescaline), well known for its pharmacological hallucinogenic action. In the period before the Spanish Conquistadors in Mexico, the Agave worm (Hipopta agavis) was (and still is) much used in the local cuisine as a cooking additive. Among many natives it’s regarded as an aphrodisiac and a great luxury and a delicacy.

Certainly due to their scarcity they were expensive and this added to their prestige and demand. In Oaxaca, at the time of ‘giving birth’ women will drink a small dose of Mezcal as an aid to endure the ordeal of childbirth due to the fact that the majority of women still practice natural childbirth with no drugs / pain killers. In the Oaxaca area, diabetics take a small glass of Mezcal each morning before breakfast - just ONE glass ! The effects produced after drinking Mezcal are regarded by many Mexicans like a tonic ; and it is known medically to affect the vasodilatation of the blood vessels and so may be beneficial in moderation to those with a heart condition and a moderate use of it is believed in Mexico to prolong life and increase sexual appetite and prowess ; regarded in Mexico as a kind of Mexican viagra !! Under British Law one would be quite unable to confirm or encourage this idea, or endorse such claims !