Tequila Made Me Do It: 60 tantalising tequila and mezcal cocktails. Ruby Taylor
century once again favoured European spirits, diminishing the tequila industry. However, years after the Mexican Revolution, local and global affairs led to the resurgence of tequila.
The prohibition of alcohol in the United States from 1920 to 1933 opened the gates for tequila to enter American hearts, crossing the Bravo River illegally and satisfying thirsty palates in speakeasies across the country. Back in Mexico, the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1930s gave rise to the stereotype of the Mexican man – a tequila-drinking, cattle-ranching, mariachi-singing womaniser – and tequila was once again a national symbol.
TYPES OF TEQUILA
The rise of tequila’s popularity and its distinct flavour allowed opportunists outside of Mexico to try and cash in on tequila’s success by mimicking spirits and trying to pass them off as original tequilas. In 1973, some of the main Tequileros began lobbying for the declaration of a protected designation of origin, to cover the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. On 22 November 1974, with the addition of the states of Tamaulipas, Michoacan and Guanajuato, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce declared the Protected Designation of Origin ‘Tequila’.
TEQUILA BREAKDOWN
Tequila is classified into two categories depending on the quantity of agave sugars and other sugars added during fermentation. After the tequila is distilled, it is sold in four main presentations, depending on the amount of time aged in oak barrels.
100% Agave - As the classification suggests, this is the spirit obtained from only the sugars of Agave tequilana Weber or blue agave, cultivated in the territory included in the Declaration of the PDO.
Mixto - Spirit obtained from musts that have been enriched or mixed with sugars other than Agave tequilana Weber, in a percentage no greater than 49%.
Blanco/Plata (Silver) - Unaged tequila.
Joven/Oro (Gold) - A blend of blanco tequila with reposado, añejo or extra añejo.
Reposado - Tequila aged in oak barrels for less than two months. A blend between reposado and añejo or extra añejo tequilas can also be considered reposado.
Añejo - Tequila aged in oak barrels for a minimum of one year. A blend of añejo and extra añejo tequilas.
Extra Añejo - Tequila aged in oak barrels for a minimum of three years.
Para todo mal mezcal, para todo bien tambien.
‘For everything bad, mezcal, for everything good as well.’
Mezcal is the second-most popular Protected Designation of Origin of Mexico’s spirits. Unlike tequila’s standardised production method, mezcal is all about diversity. It can be made from over 40 agave varietals found in the nine designated states. Oaxaca, Guerrero, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Durango, Tamaulipas, Michoacán and Puebla are all part of the mezcal PDO, spanning 500,000 km2 (193,000 sq. mi.) and making it the largest PDO in the world. But this enigmatic spirit hasn’t always been popular. Long ostracised, mezcal was portrayed as the poor man’s spirit. It is no secret that tequila has played a role in tarnishing mezcal’s reputation, favouring tequila over other agave spirits.
But even as discerning palates indulged in tequila, there were always those whose own defying nature, in the quest for adventure, would wander into strange territories, much like Alice, and tumble down the rabbit hole of mezcal. Aficionados would render themselves enamoured of the fiery spirit of Oaxaca. Mezcal may have been neglected over the years, but to anyone with a desire for the unknown, it remains a spirit with the power to inspire imbibers for generations to come.
The production process for mezcal is the same as tequila. However, the vast majority of mezcals produced today still possess an artisanal quality of the elements and processes used during roasting, crushing, fermentation and distillation. In Oaxaca, where more than 80 per cent of mezcals are produced, a traditional palenque (distillery) is composed of an underground, stone-lined oven, a tahona, wooden open-air fermentation tanks and simple copper pot stills. These parts, especially the signature cooking method of roasting the agaves in an underground firewood oven, is what gives mezcal its distinct smokiness. The production capacity of mezcal is much smaller than tequila. The production of a single palenque with two 350-litre stills can range from 10,000–12,000 litres a year. In other words, mezcal is micro-distilled.
The most common agave varietal used in mezcal is Agave espadín (angustifolia Haw), whose cultivation originated in Oaxaca in the mid-20th century. Today, more than 75 per cent of mezcal is from espadín agaves, chosen for their larger piñas and higher sugar concentration. Wild agaves are also used to create rare and exclusive variations, elevating them to the luxury spirits market. Agaves like the Potatorum or Tobala can be found in isolated regions in the high sierras of Oaxaca. These smaller agaves are highly aromatic and can be very complex in flavour, with notes of lavender, cardamom and lime zest. Another popular wild agave is the Madrecuixe, with earthy notes of cacao, clay and butterscotch.
The rise in mezcal’s popularity has not only generated income to some of Mexico’s most isolated regions, it has also allowed migrant labourers to return to their communities and work in their forgotten trade. The increase in demand for rare agave spirits has generated opportunities for rural populations to create long-term businesses and the promise of a future for generations to come.
TYPES OF MEZCAL
The PDO for mezcal was declared in 1994. Mezcal is predominantly produced with 100% Agave and can be classified into the following categories:
Mezcal (Industrial) - Mezcal produced using modern technology that can include autoclaves, mechanical crushers, stainless steel fermentation tanks and continuous or column stills.
Mezcal Artesanal - Mezcal produced using traditional methods, including underground stone-lined ovens, tahonas, or manual crushing, fermentation tanks made from wood, clay, stone or hide, and traditional copper alembic stills.
Mezcal Ancestral - Mezcal produced using the same methods as the Mezcal Artesenal, with the added use of clay vessels for distillation.
MEZCAL DE PECHUGA - Mezcal distilled with additional ingredients can also be known as Mezcal de Pechuga. This is triple-distilled in single pot copper stills with a maceration of seasonal fruits and spices, including tejocote, guava, pineapple, apples, cinnamon and clove, depending on the producer. After a batch of espadín mezcal is made, it is added back to the still with the fruit. A raw turkey breast is suspended over the still in a mesh cloth. The mezcal distills again, absorbing oils from the fruit. While it evaporates, it permeates the turkey breast, obtaining fats and oils from the meat’s juices, adding a velvety texture to the resulting spirit.
POPPING UP LIKE DAISIES
She turns 70 this year, and like many popular cocktails, the history of the Margarita is as mysterious as it is filled with holes. No one seems quite able to pinpoint the origin of this beloved cocktail, most likely because every time someone tries to tell the story, they’re usually on their fourth or fifth. Given the multiple fan theories for how it originated, where the name came from and who the first Margarita was made for, digging up the history of this cocktail is like trying to figure out who really shot JFK.
One such story begins in a bar in Ensenada, frequented by Margarita Henkel, the daughter of a German ambassador. Some believe it was named after starlet Margarita Cansino (aka Rita Hayworth), who would often perform at the Agua Caliente Race Track, where bartender Danny Negrete claimed to have invented it. However, after falling down the rabbit hole of cocktail conspiracies, it seems safe to assume that the source for what is considered one of the