Finding the rarest (and therefore most prized) varieties of the agave plant in the hills and mountains around Oaxaca has become as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. Traditionally, peasants went with their horses and a machete as if they were samurai, today they are dedicated to scattering the seeds over the land in the hope that with a little luck they will take shape and the species will not disappear.
Global demand for mezcal has skyrocketed 700% since 2015 and last year was one billion euros, with a production of eight million liters. The growth is so great that it is estimated that by 2030 it will more than double, with a third of consumption in the United States given its reputation as a healthy drink (to the extent possible) due to the way it treats sugar, which does not hurt the stomach and does not cause headaches or hangovers.
Mezcal and tequila are from the same family, but the former is more sophisticated (kind of like the difference between a single malt and a smoky whiskey). Both are distilled from a plant called agave, but the second is extracted only from the blue weber variety, existing in five Mexican states, while there are countless varieties of the first, both cultivated and wild, the more expensive the more difficult they are to produce. find, some almost disappeared, that are sought (and valued) like the gold nuggets in Alaska or California during the fever of the 19th century.
The agave is a plant with a prehistoric appearance, thorny, with a yellow flower and a belly (the part closest to the earth) called piña, it is crushed with a circular stone moved by horses that go around, it is roasted with and different types of wood (which give it a particular taste, more or less sweet or smoky, with one species or another, a secret of each house, as in Scotch whiskey), are fermented and distilled. A bottle can reach a price of five hundred dollars. The cheapest and most common variety is called espadín, which matures in seven to nine years, while others can take up to fifteen years or more.
The natives used the agave for religious ceremonies, weddings, and the manufacture of tools and clothing. According to different legends, mezcal poured from the breasts of the Zapotec goddess Mayatl, or was created by her throwing lightning. Later, farmers used plants to demarcate the territories of their fields, which in many cases were acquired today by American companies.
Spirits derived from agave have become so international that they have even reached Scotland. In the same way that there are Japanese, Swedish and almost any country in the world whiskeys, the first Scottish tequila (Véspero, the evening) has also recently been marketed, which however cannot be called that due to designation of origin issues. Its creator is Andrew Clark Hutchinson, born in Mexico City.
“If it smells like tequila, tastes like tequila, and is made like tequila, then it is tequila,” says Hutchinson. Being a Scotsman born in Mexico, I set out to do something that united both cultures, traditions and lifestyles. There are other places in Scotland that produce the spirit, but they just distill it, whereas we create it from scratch and do the whole process.”
The growing popularity of tequila and mezcal, especially in the United States and of course Mexico (even for variations on classic cocktails like the margarita and negroni), has led to the proliferation of micro distilleries even in London and other European capitals, as if It will be about gin, and that stars from the world of cinema and entertainment will market their own brands, as is the case of Casamigas, by former model Cindy Crawford, and Casamigos, by her husband Rande Gerber together with George Clooney.
The origins of wild agave plants in the valleys and hills of Oaxaca date back four hundred years. Finding some of them - a real treasure - has become as difficult over time as finding white truffles or gold nuggets.
