What is Mezcal?
Mezcal is a smokey liquor that packs a guttaral punch, often likened to scotch in its smokiness and flavor profile. It’s made from upwards of 30 different varietals of agave that grow all over Mexico. The type of mezcal you’re probably most familiar with goes by the name of tequila. However, tequila is strictly made with just one type of agave varietal - the Blue Weber. The mezcal consuming menu real estate and poking out from behind bars all over Oaxaca is made from every other variety, the most common of which is Espadin.
How is Mezcal Made?
Before I attempt to provide a snapshot of the extensive mezcal production process, I highly recommend you witness it with your own two eyes while in Oaxaca. Palenques (mezcal farms) dot the landscape all over the Oaxaca valley, making for an easy access and truly multi-dimensional mezcal drinking experience you can rewardingly reflect on with every future sip.
My personal introduction to the mezcal production process was during a very special sacred mezcal experience with Where Sidewalks End, a local Oaxaca tour company that prides itself on connecting travelers to off-the-beaten-path and authentic cultural experiences. On this tour, we had the chance to literally follow in the footsteps of a mezcalero named Don Conejo, shadowing him through every step of the ancestral mezcal-making process, from planting agave (also known as maguey) in his fields to bottling the final product. His palenque is located about an hour from Oaxaca City in Santa Catarina Minas. His land is teeming with both wild, semi-wild, and cultivated agave of all varieties.
The mezcal production process begins with the planting of the baby agave plants, called hijos (or sons). On average, the maguey maturation process from hijo to ready-for-harvest can take about 7 years, while some agave can take as long as 25 years to mature. When harvest day finally arrives, the agave are uprooted and then roasted for days in a pit oven in the ground. This step right here is what gives mezcal its beloved smoky notes.
After roasting, the agave hearts, or piñas, are left to cool and, once cool, pressed by hand with a giant wooden mallet until the maguey is nothing more than a heap of agave fibers and wet syrupy pulp.
The now macerated maguey hearts are thrown into a wooden fermentation tank where they are left for one to four weeks to ferment. No yeast is added. The maguey ferment naturally with the support of ambient yeast and microbes present in the environment. A true mezcalero will know exactly when to transfer the fermented maguey to the distillation still. Before that time arrives, you’ll spot the mezcal master visiting the fermentation vat with increasing frequency, each time tasting, touching, sniffing, and watching until the mash has reached the optimal sugar and alcohol content for distillation.
The fermented mash is then transferred to the distillation still, fibers and all. El Conejo uses a clay-pot still to distill his mezcal, though copper is also common in the region. The mezcal is often distilled at least twice before its ready to be enjoyed. The first distillation yields a hard-to-drink liquid called shishe. After the shishe is distilled once more, sometimes twice more, the mezcal is ready for drinking.
How does one properly drink Mezcal?
What one does not do is throw it back like a shot…or gulp it down thinking it’s water. Mezcal is to be kissed, meaning sip it slowly and in small drip-like doses that merely coat your tongue. Take time between each “kiss” to appreciate the experience unfolding on your tastebuds. Notice the shift in profile as you move from the alcohol-heavy first kiss to the third and fourth, when new notes begin to come through. Before you even take your first sip, some locals will even recommend rubbing some of the mezcal in your palms to really catch the distinct aromas of the variety you’re sipping.
Though mezcal is commonly served with a side of orange slices and worm salt, any true mezcal afficionado would urge you to not mix the flavors. Focus on the mezcal, and if you need a palate cleanse between sips, grab your glass of water instead of reaching for the salted orange slice.
If you’re new to mezcal, it may be a good idea to try a mezcal cocktail first to warm up your senses to the mezcal drinking experience or ask the bartender or mezcalero for their least strong variety.
The Best Mezcal Experiences in Oaxaca
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I’m not here to spoon feed you an itinerary or tell you exactly how to experience mezcal while in Oaxaca. Instead, I’d invite to peruse the options I lay out below and pay attention to which one(s) peaks your interest the most. Follow that intuitive hit and go on your version of the best mezcal experience in Oaxaca.
Visit a Palenque on a Guided Tour
This was by far my favorite way to experience mezcal. It brought entirely new dimension to the drink for me, especially now that I know it takes upwards of seven years for that baby agave to even be ready for the multi-week production process. As I mentioned before, I did my mezcal tour with Where Sidewalks End, but there are of course many other options out there, like Coyote Aventuras’ mezcal tour that combines a mezcal tasting with a hike around Hierve el Agua and The Mezcal Journey’s mezcal tour that takes you to both Mitla and Matatlan for a tour of the agave fields and a mezcal tasting. What I loved about my experience with Where Sidewalks End was how hands-on and informational it was. It truly felt like I was shadowing a mezcalero as he went about his daily business. Of course, I also loved sampling the mezcal at the end (and during), but for me it was witnessing the field-to-bottle process in its most authentic form that really blew me away.
Experience a Mezcal Tasting at a Mezcaleria in Oaxaca
There are a few spots in Oaxaca that are known for their exceptional mezcal tasting experiences. I’ve done the tasting at El Cortijo, but La Mezcaloteca and In Situ are also great options.
El Cortijo
Sip your way through three artisanal mezcals at this multi-generational establishment. The Méndez family of Santiago Matatlan has been producing mezcal since 1795. They opened their El Cortijo tasting room in 2012 and are considered to be one of the first brands of mezcal in Oaxaca. Their mezcal tasting is equal parts an introduction to mezcal production and variety as well as a guided experience into the aromas and flavors of each mezcal you try. I recommend going with a friend so you can double the number of mezcals you sample.
The Details:
Location: 5 de Mayo 305, Centro - View on Map
Price per Tasting:
3-mezcal tasting of their premium mezcals: 250 pesos
3-mezcal tasting of their invited brands of mezcal: 350 pesos
3-mezcal tasting of the ancestral-produced mezcals: 380 pesos
Duration: at your own pace
Availability:
Open Daily 3pm - 9pm
Walk-ins welcome up to 6 people. If more than 6, you can make a reservation via WhatsApp at +52 (951) 165 4801.
Mezcaloteca
Mezcaloteca’s appointment-only tasting is as much an educational experience as it is a trip for your tastebuds. This particular mezcaleria is known for its library-like collection of mezcal from family-owned brands and small-batch producers all over the Oaxacan countryside. All of the mezcals in their library are prepared in the ancestral mezcal tradition, meaning every sip is going to be unique and hard to repeat anywhere else.
The Details:
Location: Reforma 506, Centro (across from the Jardin Etnobotanico) - View on Map
Price Per Tasting:
3-mezcal tasting: 320 pesos
4-mezcal tasting: 360 pesos
5-mezcal tasting: 410 pesos
The cost is per person and includes a bottle of water.
Duration: 40 minutes to one hour
Availability:
Monday to Saturday 1pm - 6pm
Reserve online or give them a call at (951) 514 0082. This is an appointment-only mezcal tasting. No walk-ins accepted.
Mezcaleria In Situ
The owner of Mezcaleria In Situ, Ulises Torrentera, is known around town as a passionate mezcal curator, oftentimes tracking down mezcals made with the rarest of agaves. You won’t find a bigger or more unique mezcal collection in Oaxaca than the one hanging from the walls of his intimate tasting room in Centro. As the mezcal list can be slightly overwhelming, ask for a recommendation from Ulises himself or his wife Sandra who are often behind the bar. You’ll even receive an educational card that shares more about the agave used in the mezcal you’re drinking, its flavor profile, and the distillation process.
The Details:
Location: Vicente Guerrero 413, Centro - View on Map
Price Per Tasting:
3-mezcal tasting: 450 pesos
Duration: at your own pace
Availability:
Monday to Saturday 2pm - 11pm (their hours sometimes vary and may not match those currently listed)
Walk-ins welcome, or you can contact In Situ directly at (951) 514 1811.
Additional Options
Mezcal & Mole Tasting
Combine your mezcal tasting with a mole tasting alongside a professional sommelier who will take you through Oaxaca’s mezcal and mole scene.
Price: $76USD per person
Check Availability
Mixology Class with Mezcal
This is a great class to sign up for if mezcal is harder for you to sip straight. With a local award-winning bartender, you’ll learn how to mix your own mezcal cocktails using a variety of organically grown local products.
Price: $60USD per person
Check Availability
Organic Mezcal Tasting with Etnofood
Etnofood is a local social enterprise that combines gastronomy experiences for travelers with local youth empowerment. In this three-mezcal tasting at Espacio Mezcal, you’ll be hosted by youth from local mezcal cooperatives, some of whom are the children of the mezcaleros behind the mezcal you’ll be tasting or members themselves of the mezcal cooperatives. They’ll walk you through how to recognize the diversity of flavors, aromas, and textures of each small production mezcal you taste.
Price: $45USD per person
Check Availability
This article republished by:
https://nomapsorfoottracks.com/blog/a-mezcal-guide-to-oaxaca