| MEZCAL Mezcal from Matatlan Oaxaca, Mexico Mezcal, a drink of such antiquity that it witnessed the birth of the Mexico we know today, is impregnated with the mystery and the magic of past civilizations. Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the heart or "piña" of the maguey or agave plant that is native to Mexico. The word “mezcal” comes from Nahuatl “mexcalmetl” which means agave or maguey. This plant grows in many parts of Mexico but most mezcal is made in Oaxaca. There is a saying attributed to Oaxaca regarding the drink: "para todo mal, mezcal y para todo bien también" (for everything bad, mezcal, and for everything good, too.”) There were no distilled beverages in Mexico before the Spanish Conquest. The Spaniards were introduced to native fermented drinks such as pulque, also made from the maguey plant. Soon the conquistadors began experimenting with the maguey plant to find a way to make a distillable fermented mash. The result is mezcal. Today, mezcal is still made from the heart of the maguey plant, called the piña, much the same way it was 200 years ago in most places. In Mexico, mezcal is generally drunk straight and has a strong smoky flavor that can be difficult to get used to. Though not as popular as tequila, Mexico does export the product, mostly to Japan and the United States, and exports are growing. |
| A typical view of Maguey in Oaxaca, Mexico |
| Agave or Maguey Photo: http://www.rsfotografia.com/Re portaje/Mezcal/MZEspanol.html |
| Cutting the "corazó nor Piña" Photo: http://www.rsfotografia.com/Re portaje/Mezcal/MZEspanol.html |
| Where Our Mezcal Originates Piñas (pinapples) or corazones (hearts) of maguey, the press, and the fermentation process in the Fábrica de Mezcal “El Chorrito”; and “Mezcal Don Tacho” - in Matatlan, Oaxaca. |
La Casa de Los Tesoros "Rinconcitos de México" |