Tequila (& Mezcal), It Makes Me Happy...

 

Tequila (& Mezcal), It Makes Me Happy...


...as does anything else Agave based if I'm honest.

Tequila is such a misunderstood drink. Most people have had bad experience of even worse tequila, usually involving salt. lime and an inability to remember your name or which way gravity is supposed to work. But it is such a diverse and complex spirit that warrants a slower approach to appreciation and enjoyment.

First things first. All Tequilas are Mezcals. Mezcal is a distilled drink made from fermented agave. The agave is a succulent, rather like aloe vera, rather than a cactus which is the perceived knowledge. Where Mezcal can be made from any part of the many different agave plants, tequila can only be made from the heart of the blue agave from certain areas in Mexico. Think of it like Champagne, which can only come from one place, using specific grapes and produced a certain way.

The process of tequila production always reminds me of that thing about the first person to milk a cow. You know, the whole 'What were they thinking!' scenario. So, in a nutshell, you spend about 20 years becoming a Jimador (person who tends the agave) of enough experience to know when the plant is ripe and ready, then you dig it up. That's what is happening in the photo above. The heart of the agave is a big ol' thing that you chop into one way, then another till it looks like a pineapple. This piña is then roasted to soften it. Originally, it would have been put in a hole in the earth and a fire set before covering with dirt so you could come back the next day to dig it up once more. Mostly, ovens are used for the roasting process now. This turns the starches in the plant to sugars which are what the fermented liquid can be made from and subsequently distilled into the spirit in your glass.

For me, mezcal & tequila can be as complex as malt whisky. There will always be the lingering fire of the roast that sits alongside floral, herby, spicy and fruity aromas and tastes that make each one individual. As the popularity of mezcal in the UK increases (& the price drops!) more of us will get to appreciate the subtle differences of this powerful drink.

I had the great fortune of speaking with Tomas Estes, one of the Mexican Government's Tequila Ambassadors, last year and we spoke about individual agave farm production and vintage variations just as if I was speaking with a winemaker extolling the virtues of his different vineyards and the vagaries of the weather in different years. This approach will seem new to the many who only have experience of a slammer or margarita jug, but will bring a more thoughtful & sophisticated insight into these spirits for those with a sense of adventure.


Other things to note about mezcal, tequila and agave products in general are the versatility of them in cocktails and recipes. Take agave syrup, for example, which has started to show up in supermarkets in the UK. I use it as an alternative to sugar in cakes and coffee and, here is the best bit, there is something about the agave plant, some compound maybe or the type of fructose that stops you getting hangovers! I know there will be unbelievers out there (usually ones with bad tequila memories) and I have no scientific proof to back this up, but I have never suffered a hangover when I've been enjoying good tequila or mezcal the night before. If I do wake up with the fuzzy, stinging head from non-agave based over-indulgence, I find some agave syrup in my morning coffee works wonders in clearing me up again.

So, next time you are offered a tequila or spot a mezcal in a bar, say yes, but savour it, sip and take your time. If the fire is a bit much add a small wedge of lime to soften and add zing. You just might find something to really make you happy!

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