Agave field in Yagul Valley, Oaxaca, Mexico
In a sun-kissed valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico, Luis Niño de Rivera pulls a machete from his pocket and starts to hack a large agave plant with intimidating precision. Cutting away the leaves, or pencas, he’s after the piña, the heart of the plant.
Once cooked, fermented and distilled, it will become mezcal, one of the most exciting, terroir-driven spirits in the world.
Historically, the Aztecs made alcoholic beverages from agave, extracting the sap to produce pulque – a milky, potent alcoholic drink. The Spanish brought distillation to Mexico in the 16th century, creating what we know as mezcal and entrenching agave’s cultural, medicinal and spiritual significance.
For centuries, mezcal was the drink of the poor. But a surge in demand from well-travelled consumers – thirsty for novelty and authenticity – has fuelled a plethora of small-batch mezcals. Some cost upwards of hundreds of pounds a bottle. Many are worth it.
Understanding agave
Well suited to the dry, arid plains and mountains of Mexico, there are more than 30 different varieties of agave that can produce mezcal. This gives it an incredible range of aroma and flavour profiles.
Of all the spirits, mezcal is the most like wine, in that the soil, variety, growing conditions and production method can all have a defining impact on the taste. Machete-wielding De Rivera (below), co-founder and co-CEO of Mezcal Amaras, describes it as ‘the soul of Mexico in a glass’.
Luis Niño de Rivera of Mezcal Amaras
