Up until recently, mezcal to me has always just been that “fun unique smoky tequila-like spirit.” I never really grasped why it was described as “rustic” or what “single village” really meant. I kept a single bottle on hand (Del Maguey Vida) for mixing interesting cocktails, liked it and considered myself a fan, and that was that. Anytime I saw the more expensive bottles with complex labels and descriptions of the species of agave, the name of the distiller, the region of production, etc, it all went completely over my head. Well, after recently picking up the wonderful Mezcal book by Emma Janzen, my perception has TOTALLY changed.

Mezcal is a spirit made from the agave plant, which has about 200 different sub-species. Up to 50 of those varieties can be used to make mezcal, in 9 different regions of Mexico, and the method of production can vary quite a bit. As a result, you can imagine the huge variety in the end product. And yet, the popular message we get is just that it’s “a smoky tequila.” In my next few mezcal bottle talks, I’ll cover some of the perception-changing topics on mezcal that have completely transformed the way I view and think of the spirit. This is all very new to me, so I hope you’ll join along for the learning adventure! 😁 In the meantime, I highly recommend picking up this easy-to-read, beautifully-photographed book! In addition to the fantastic information, there are also ~40 wonderful craft mezcal recipes to try.

Please share your favorite mezcales with me, I could use all the help I can get navigating this crazy world!