What is mezcal?
Mezcal: Mexican agave spirit; the agave hearts are roasted in earth pits before distilling.
- Category
- Spirit
- Taste
- Smoky, earthy, a little fruity. Think tequila with campfire.
- Strength
- About 40-50% ABV
- Similar to
- smoky tequila, peated Scotch
- Also called
- mescal
The story
The name comes from the Nahuatl mexcalli, "oven-cooked agave." Spanish settlers brought distilling to Mexico in the 1500s, and people have pit-roasted agave this way ever since. Tequila is technically a kind of mezcal, from one region and one agave.