Tequila: Mescal

All distilled maguey juices are mescals, a word derived from mexcalmetl, the Nauhuatl word for the agave plant. Tequila is mescal from the state of Jalisco. Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, is the production center for the liquor called “mescal” (also spelled “mezcal”). Much mescal is produced locally in the old-fashioned way. Maguey piñas are placed in pits, covered with heated rocks and layers of fiber matting, and then allowed to cook for several days. The process gives mescal its distinctive smoky, earthy flavor. Once cooked, the maguey is placed in wooden barrels and allowed to ferment for up to a month. The resultant mixture of fiber and liquid is distilled twice, sometimes with a chicken breast, in small stills. Like tequila, mescal is classified as aged or not. Three types are unique, among them the 96 proof tobala, a rare maguey distilled in black ceramic containers and often sold in ceramic bottles, and minero, named for miners who wanted strong triple-distilled liquor. Probably the best known outside Mexico is mescal con gusano, sold with a “worm” in the bottle. The “worm” is really the larva of a moth that lives in the base of the maguey plant. Highly prized for their flavor and texture, gusanos are sold in markets and eaten out of hand. When dried and ground together with salt and chilies, sal de gusano is used with mixed drinks and as a condiment. Gusanos are not traditional additions to mescal bottles but are a marketing ploy dating to the 1950s, along with invented folklore stories about macho qualities imparted to those who dare to eat them.