Mezcal is a distilled beverage made from cooked and fermented agave juice. But that definition barely scratches the surface of this incredibly complex spirit.
Most people outside Mexico are more familiar with tequila, which is in fact one kind of mezcal. All tequila is made from agave tequilana Weber, or Weber blue agave and cooked in steam ovens, usually in the state of Jalisco.
Mezcal, on the other hand, can be made from any of roughly 50 species of agave, and each brings a different taste to the final product.
Most people outside Mexico are more familiar with tequila, which is in fact one kind of mezcal. All tequila is made from agave tequilana Weber, or Weber blue agave and cooked in steam ovens, usually in the state of Jalisco.
Mezcal, on the other hand, can be made from any of roughly 50 species of agave, and each brings a different taste to the final product.
Here's everything you need to know about the magical world of mezcal.