A cheap commercial bottle of Mexican Mezcal bought in Cancun. A worm can be seen in the bottom of the bottle.

Mezcal is a Mexican distilled spirit made from the maguey plant, and refers to all agave based distilled liquors that are not tequila. Its fabrication and consumption are popularly associated with the Mexican State of Oaxaca, however, commercial and private production of mezcal is known over a wide area of central-south Mexico outside of tequila producing areas (Jalisco and Guanajuato states). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1761x1490, 582 KB) Summary Mezcal bottle from Mexico, bought in Cancun. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1761x1490, 582 KB) Summary Mezcal bottle from Mexico, bought in Cancun. ... Spirits redirects here. ... Species see text. ... Various brands of tequila Tequila is a spirit made primarily in the area surrounding Tequila (show on map), a town in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, 65 km northwest of Guadalajara and in the highlands of Jalisco, 65 km east of Guadalajara. ... Catedral de Santo Domingo The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca or simply Oaxaca   is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of Mexico, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. ... Jalisco is one of the states of the United Mexican States (Mexico). ... Guanajuato is a state in the central highlands of Mexico. ...

There are many different subspecies of maguey plant, and each produces a different taste of mezcal. Tequila is a mezcal made from the blue agave plant in the town of Tequila and the surrounding region of Jalisco. Species see text. ... Tequila is a municipality in the central part of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. ... Jalisco is one of the states of the United Mexican States (Mexico). ...

Production

Mezcal is made from the agave plant, commonly referred to in Mexico as maguey. In the tequila region the indigenous people call the plant mezcal. Agave — a Greek word meaning noble — was assigned to the 400 + species a hundred years ago due to the large number of uses that the plant offered ancient peoples. After the agave matures (6-8 years) it is harvested by magueyeros (agave field workers, more generally called jimadores) and the leaves are chopped off using a long-handled knife known as a coa or coa de jima (a type of machete), leaving only the large hearts, which are called corazón (Spanish for "heart") or piñas (Spanish for "pineapple"). The corazón is then cooked and crushed, producing a mash. A jimadore is a field worker who harvests agave plants for mezcal and tequila production using a coa. ... A knife is a sharp-edged (single or double edged) instrument consisting of a thin blade used for cutting and fitted with a handle. ... A coa de jima or coa is a long, machete-like knife used by a jimadore to cut the leaves from the piñas of an agave being harvested for mezcal or tequila. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... Binomial name Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. ...

Santiago Matatlan in Oaxaca is known as the world capital of Mezcal. The Family that is world known for there Mezcal production is the Mateos family. This family has mezcal brand that ranges from Mezcal Beneva (founder Pedro Mateo), Fandango (co-founder Tiburrusio Mateos) , Oro de Oaxaca (founder Jose Lopez Mateos) and others that are just family name brands still not registered names. This family has been in business for many generations and is still influencial in the business.

Baking and mashing

A distillery oven loaded with agave "pineapples", the first step in the production of tequila.

Traditionally, the piñas are baked in palenques: large (8-12 ft in diameter) rock-lined conical pits in the ground. A 3-4 foot cubic pile of trunk oak in the bottom of the pit is covered by rocks 6" in diameter and the wood is burned, turning the rocks red hot. Next the piñas are piled to 3-4 feet above ground level, then covered with banana leaves, used fiber from the last process, or agave leaves, then petate (palm fiber mats), and finally earth. The piñas are allowed to cook in the pit for three to five days. This converts the starches to fructose and lets the piñas absorb flavors from the earth and wood smoke coating the rocks. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 636 KB) Author Tobias Hesse Description distillery oven loaded with agaves at the El Jimador tequila factory close to Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico Mit Agaven gefüllter Ofen in der Tequila-Fabrik von El Jimador in der Nähe von Tequila... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 636 KB) Author Tobias Hesse Description distillery oven loaded with agaves at the El Jimador tequila factory close to Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico Mit Agaven gefüllter Ofen in der Tequila-Fabrik von El Jimador in der Nähe von Tequila... The Palace, Ruins of Palenque Palenque is a Maya archeological site near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, located at about 130 km south of Ciudad del Carmen (see map). ...

After the cooking, the piñas are left to sit for a week, then placed in a ring of stone or concrete about 12 ft in diameter, where a large stone wheel attached to a post in the middle is pulled around by horse or burro, crushing the piñas.

Modern commercial makers cook the piñas with steam from a boiler in huge stainless steel ovens and then crush them with mechanical crushers.

Fermentation

The mash (tepache) is then placed in large, 300-500-gallon wooden vats and 5%–10% water is added to the mix. The government requires that 80% of this mix be from agave (as opposed to tequila which is less regulated at 51%). Cane and corn sugars may be added at this stage. In the case of smaller farmer distillers, it is left to naturally ferment for four to thirty days with the action of only airborne microbes.^{[citation needed]} In the case of commercial producers, chemical accelerators like ammonium sulfate or urea are allowed and quantity is not limited.^{[citation needed]} The tepache is a drink made out of pineapple cortex, some piloncillo or brown sugar and sometimes beer. ... Ammonium sulphate, [NH4]2[SO4] contains 21% nitrogen as ammonia and 24% sulfur as sulfate. ... Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO. Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Nonproprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ...

Distillation and aging

After the fermentation stage is done, the mash is double-distilled. The first distillation yields ordinary low-grade alcohol. After the first distillation, the fibers are removed from the still and the resulting alcohol from the first distillation added back into the still. This mixture is distilled once again. At this point the mezcal may be bottled or aged. Laboratory distillation set-up using, without a fractionating column 1: Heat source 2: Still pot 3: Still head 4: Thermometer/Boiling point temperature 5: Condenser 6: Cooling water in 7: Cooling water out 8: Distillate/receiving flask 9: Vacuum/gas inlet 10: Still receiver 11: Heat control 12: Stirrer speed... Grain alcohol redirects here. ... The term still is a contraction of the verb to distill. A still is an apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible (eg. ...

Mezcal ages quite rapidly in comparison to other spirits. It is aged in large wooden barrels for two months to seven years. During this time the mezcal acquires a golden color, and its flavor is influenced by the wooden barrels. The longer it is aged, the darker the color and the more noticeable the flavor.

Age classifications:

• Añejo – Aged for at least a year in barrels no larger than 350 litres.
• Reposado (rested) – Aged two months to a year.
• Joven (Blanco) – "Young" White (colorless) mezcal, aged less than two months.

Items added during bottling

A number of objects are frequently added into mezcal bottles along with the mezcal itself. These can include worms, scorpions, and decorative elements such as glass sculptures with gold leaf (see Mezcal Embajador bottles).

The worm

The worms as served at Restaurante Villa Maria in Polanco, Mexico City.

The "worm" (sometimes more than one) commonly seen in bottles of mezcal is actually the larva of one of two kinds of insects. The most common type is the larva of the agave snout weevil. [1] [2] The "red worm" or gusano rojo is the caterpillar of the Hypopta agavis moth, one of the several kinds of "maguey worm". The worm is found on the agave plant. The originator of this practice was a man named Jacobo Lozano Páez. In 1940, while tasting prepared agave, he and his partner found that the worm changed the taste of the agave. (Agave worms are sometimes found in the piña after harvesting). Many brands contain such worms. Some are named after the worm itself, as in Gusano Rojo and some are even named for unusual use of a worm, e.g. Dos Gusanos, which uses two. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 2245 KB) Picture of Gusanos de maguey taken at Restaurante Villa Maria in Polanco, Mexico City on Sept 7 2006 by Andy Sadler I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 2245 KB) Picture of Gusanos de maguey taken at Restaurante Villa Maria in Polanco, Mexico City on Sept 7 2006 by Andy Sadler I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... The mezcal worms found in some bottles of mezcal from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, are one of two types of insect larvae. ... A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The mezcal worms found in some bottles of mezcal from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, are one of two types of insect larvae. ... Caterpillar of the Emperor Gum Moth A caterpillar is the larval form of a member of the Order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). ... Binomial name Hypopta agavis Hypopta agavis, known in Spanish as chilocuil, chinicuil, or tecol, is a moth native to North America. ... A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

When a worm is included this is known as 'Con Gusano,' which means 'with worm.' Aside from its consumption with mezcal, the maguey worm is considered a delicacy in Mexico and can be found on some restaurant menus. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This is a List of delicacies. ...

The use of the worm is exclusive to mezcal, since the Mexican standards authority, NOM, prohibits adding insects or larvae to tequila. Various brands of tequila Tequila is a spirit made primarily in the area surrounding Tequila (show on map), a town in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, 65 km northwest of Guadalajara and in the highlands of Jalisco, 65 km east of Guadalajara. ...

• Video Documental Mezcal in Michoacan

Other Mexican States Capital Morelia Other major cities Lázaro Cárdenas list of municipalities Area 59,928 km² Ranked 16th Population (2000 census) 3,979,180 Ranked 7th Governor (2002-08) Lázaro Cárdenas Batel (PRD) Federal Deputies (13) PRD = 9 PRI = 2 PAN = 1 disputed = 1 Federal...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Mezcal

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External links

• Mezcal TV - The internet television channel dedicated to the culture, the industry and the international promotion of Mezcal - See videos
• More details of Mezcal