What I’m reading: How to eat an Orange by Vijeta Kuma
What I’m listening to: this poetry podcast with Pádraig Ó Tuama analysing “Ordinary Sugar” by Amanda Gunn.
What I’m eating: a really excellent dinner at Cobarde, Oaxaca. The octopus and bone marrow was out of this world, as was the roasted broccolini, and bread served alongside. Most outstanding though was the service - house mezcal topped up throughout the meal and the friendliest waiters imaginable.
This week I found myself in Oaxaca during the Guelaguetza, an annual indigenous cultural festival held in the city and nearby villages (I did actually plan to be here this week, I’m not that lucky). “Guelaguetza” is a word in Zapotec (an indigenous people and language) that roughly translates to “offering”, and there is a whole week of festivities including parades, markets and a mezcal fair.
The Fería de Mezcal was incredible: over 100 stalls featuring local mezcal producers, live music, artisan textiles and food. We tasted a whole range of different mezcales, including crema de mezcal, a blend of mezcal (usually espadín) and agave honey, flavoured with anything from peanut to coffee to passionfruit. We also did a tasting with 4 different types of mezcal, and Ricardo explained the differences in agave variety, distilling process and ageing.
Mezcal vs. Tequila
Both tequila and mezcal are made from the agave plant, known in Mexico as “maguëy”. Tequila has strict rules governing its production (sort of like Champagne in France), and must be made with blue agave (agave tequilana Weber). Mezcal, on the other hand, can be made from up to 50 varieties of agave, including Tobalá, Cuishe, Mexicano, Tepextate, Espadín and Jabalí. Furthermore, agave for tequila is steamed in ovens, whereas agave for mezcal is usually roasted underground, giving it its distinctive smoky flavour. Since the production process is standardised for tequila, the flavour tends to be more consistent, and lends itself better to industrial production, while mezcal can be made using a range of artisan processes and therefore has a much wider variation of flavour. Basically, all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.
Types of mezcal
The main types of agave used for mezcal production are Tobalá, Cuishe, Mexicano, Tepextate, Espadín and Jabalí. Each plant varies in size, and takes a different amount of time to mature. The cost of different types of mezcal, therefore, often depends on which variety of plant it comes from - i.e., Espadín is a bigger plant, and matures in 5-7 years, and therefore yields more mezcal, while Tepeztate is much smaller, and can take up to 35 years to mature. The agave is ready to harvest when the quiote, or flower starts to grow out of the top of the plant (called “piña”, as in pineapple).
Manufacturing process
Once the agave is harvested, the piña is roasted to release the sugars - often in pits in the ground. The cooked plant is mashed and combined with water and yeast, and then left to mature. This is left to ferment for a number of days, allowing the sugar to convert into alcohol. Mezcal must be distilled twice before it is ready for consumption. Some mezcal is distilled with industrial machinery, as with tequila, but most is made rurally with artisan methods. Some mezcales are aged in casks, but our guide told us that this is often frowned upon, as it will take on the flavour of the cask (i.e., whiskey or sherry etc.). To add to the controversy, some say that aged mezcales are the result of colonisation, when the Spanish would ship mezcal back to Spain in sherry casks. For a young or joven mezcal, it will be bottled straight away (and the liquid will be clear).
Infusion
Some mezcales are infused with flower and herbs, and a mezcal called pechuga (literally translated as “breast”) is infused with a chicken or turkey breast (I know, right). Pechuga is a ceremonial mezcal, usually enjoyed at ceremonies such as baptisms, funerals or weddings. To make pechuga, after its second distillation, a turkey breast is hung inside the alambique, and the mezcal drips on top of it during a third distillation until it has fully dissolved, infusing the mezcal with flavour.
How to taste
First, you should shake the bottle (with the lid on) and observe the bubbles. If the bubbles are big and stay on the surface for a few seconds, it is a good sign (don’t ask me why pls). These bubbles are called “perlas”, and the maestros supposedly say “si no hace perlas, no es mezcal” (if there are no bubbles, it’s not mezcal). Then you smell it 4 times: first at 12 o’clock on the glass, then 3 o’clock, then 6 o’clock (with your mouth open), then 9 o’clock. Each different position allows you to observe different flavour notes, supposedly activating different tastebuds. Then you take a tiny sip, and wash it around your mouth, observing the different flavours - smoky, fruity, acidic, etc. Finally, you take a deep breath in, take another sip, and breathe out through your mouth for the “retrogusto” (aftertaste).
I took a quiz to determine my favourite mezcal, and the result was cuishe, which I already had a feeling would be my fave - it’s what me and Odette drank after (and during) our pop-up in Mexico city a few weeks ago, and it’s pretty excellent. It’s not too smoky, and has more herbal notes which makes for very easy drinking. Espadín is the mezcal most commonly used for cocktails, as it doesn’t have a super strong flavour, and tends to be on the cheaper end.
In my experience, the most popular way to drink mezcal is straight, no ice - usually served either in little clay cups (often with faces on them), or in these small ridged 2oz glasses. It’s usually served at room temperature, and often with a glass of water or beer (my fave is Victoria).
After our tasting, we went on the hunt for mezcalitas, and found some pretty delicious mango mezcalitas (which I am so tempted to call mangolitas). Mezcalitas are cocktails made with mezcal (obvs), lime and fruit, usually with a salt or chamoy rim. This one was so tasty I’ve attempted to recreate it, and you can find the recipe below.
Mango varieties
Mangoes have always been my favourite fruit, and boy do they grow mangoes well in Mexico. A few months ago, when I was in Mexico City, I attempted to find as many varieties as possible in the market, and did a wee taste test. My favourite, it turns out, is Ataulfo: the little yellow bean shaped one. These are everywhere in Mexico, and they usually cost $5-10 pesos (25-50c), so I have eaten more than my fair share in the last few months. This particular type of mango has a velvety texture (not fibrous at all), it’s super sweet and the pit tends to be thin (more bang for your buck).
Recipe: Mango Mezcalita (Mangolita?)
On the way home from the Fería de Mezcal, I stopped in the market and bought some mangoes (Ataulfo) and limes, and used the very dodgy hostel blender to make my best approximation of this delicious cocktail. It’s also somewhat inspired by the mango/tamarind/mezcal paleta I had the other day from Mezcalite Pop. For this particular cocktail, I think that life’s too short to make a syrup, but feel free to swap it in if you have some to hand. I found that by mixing the sugar with the mezcal, most of it dissolved, and the blender does the rest of the work. Provecho!
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