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Beer, Sake, Spirits > Agave > Flashcards

Agave Flashcards

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1
Q

4 DOs for Mexican distilled Spirits

A
  • Tequila
  • Mezcal
  • Sotol
  • Bacanora
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2
Q

Tequila

  • Major state of production
  • 4 other states with areas of production
A
  • Jalisco - West, most Tequila produced in and around the city of the same name
  • Other states:
    • Nayarit (N of Jalisco)
    • Guanajuato (E of Jalisco)
    • Michoacan (S of Jalisco)
    • Tamaulipas (E coast of Mexico)
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3
Q

Tequila

A
  • Distilled from fermented juice of the pina, of the blue agave plant (Agave Tequiliana)
  • Most Tequila is mixto, only requiring 51% blue agave, and the rest is made up with other sugars

*

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4
Q

Tequila

Age Indications

A
  • Blanco/Silver: Bottled immediately after distillation
  • Reposado (Aged): Min 2 mo in oak or encino oak containers
  • Añejo (Extra-Aged): Min 1 yr in oak or “ “, max 600 L
  • Extra Anejo: Min 3 yrs “ “, max 600 L (est 2006)
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5
Q

Mezcal

Age Indications

A
  • White/Joven: Young mezcal (Joven being phased out)
  • Reposado: Aged in oak barrels for min. 2 months
  • Añejo: Aged in oak barrels for min. 1 year, max 200 L barrel
  • Madurado en Vidrio: Matured in glass for 12 months in cool dark place
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6
Q

Mezcal

Most common and authorized Agave varieties

A
  • Agave Angustifolia
    • ​Espadin
  • ” Esperrima
  • ” Weberi
  • ” Patatorum
  • ” Salmiana
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7
Q

Mezcal DO

Year Est.

A

1994

(last modified 2015)

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8
Q

Mezcal

Number of states for production

A

9

  • 5 Original States of Production:
    • Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas
  • Added 2003: 7 towns in Tamaulipas state
  • Added 2012: Multiple towns in Michoacán state
  • Added 2015: San Luis de la Paz in Guanajuato state
  • Added 2016: Multiple towns in Puebla state
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9
Q

Mezcal DO

Permitted Additives

A

Mezcal Permitted Additives: up to 5% of volume

  • Insects
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • Honey
  • Coloring agents
  • Meat
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10
Q

Agave

Harvest

A
  • Growth of quiote
  • Quiote is cut
  • Agave often left to rest for a few months
  • Not typically harvested after heavy rains
  • 5-ton truck of agave worth $25,000 (doubled in recent years)
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11
Q

Agave

Plant

A
  • Agave is the genus
  • Not related to a cactus
  • Is a succulent
  • Matures after 6-30 years
  • Only harvested once
  • About 50 known species used for distillation
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12
Q

Agave

Espadín

A
  • 80-90% of Mezcal production
  • Matures in 6-8 years
  • Easy to cultivate, high-quality spirit, encouraged by Mexican government
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13
Q

Agave

Karwinskii

A
  • Takes longer to mature
  • Mineral, chalky
  • Many subspecies
    • Tobasiche: most notable, often wild
    • Barril
    • Tripon
    • Largo
    • Madrecuixe
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14
Q

Agave

Arroqueño

A
  • Very high quality
  • About 18 years to mature
  • Large plants (yield is 5-10 bottles per plant), looks like a big espadín
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15
Q

Agave

Tobalá

A
  • First “wild” variety common in the US market
  • Delicate and elegant
  • Recent attempts at cultivation, ripens in June
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16
Q

Agave

Tepextate

A
  • Can take 20-30 years to mature
  • Complex and intense
17
Q

NOM

A
  • Tequila and Mezcal bottles carry a NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana), 4-digit number that identifies the distillery where the spirit was made
  • Not a guarantee of quality, but legal requirement for all 100% agave Tequila
  • Majority of brands share production facilities, so only a few companies have individual dedicated distilleries and therefore unique NOM numbers
  • Tequila Regulatory Council (Consejo Regulador del Tequila)
18
Q

NORMA

A
  • Law governing Mezcal products
  • i.e. NOM-070-SCFI-1944
19
Q

COMERCAM

A
  • Consejo Mexicano Regulador de la Calidad del Mezcal
  • Regulatory body that certifies Mezcal producers
  • Since 2005
  • Only Mezcal with the COMERCAM label can “officially” be marketed as Mezcal
20
Q

Horno

A

Conical earthen pit oven

21
Q

Perlas

A

“pearls” the little bubbles that form when mezcal is shaken

22
Q

Jícara

A

“cup”

23
Q

Quiote

A
  • Stalk that shoots up from an agave plant when it’s ready to reproduce
  • Sign that the plant is ready for harvest
24
Q

Bagazo

A

Agave fiber left over after milling, fermentation, and distillation

25
Q

Pechuga

A

Finished mezcal redistilled with local fruits, grains, and nuts, and a raw chicken or turkey breast

26
Q

Ensemble

A

Mezcal made from different agaves which are processed all together

27
Q

Silvestre

A

Truly wild agave

28
Q

Margarita

A

2oz Tequila

.75 oz Triple Sec

.75 oz Lime

Shake with ice, strain, salted rim

29
Q

Paloma

A

2 oz Tequila

.5 oz Lime

Grapefruit Soda

Build in highball with ice, salted rim

30
Q

Tequila Sunrise

A

1.5 oz Tequila

3 oz Orange Juice

.5 oz Grenadine

Build in highball with ice, do not stir

31
Q

Naked and Famous

A

.75 oz Mezcal

.75 oz Yellow Chartreuse

.75 oz Aperol

Lime

Shake with ice, strain

32
Q

Mezcal

3 Categories

A

Mezcal, Artisanal, Ancestral

33
Q

Mezcal

Requirements: Cooking, Milling, Fermentation, Distillation

(vs Artesanal and Ancestral)

A
  • Cooking: Piña or maguey juices in pit ovens, cement or stainless steel tanks
  • Milling: Stone wheel, mechanical shredder or large mill
  • Fermentation: Wood cask, cement or staining steel tanks
  • Distillation: Alambic still, continuous still, copper still or stainless steel tanks
34
Q

Mezcal ARTESANAL

Requirements: Cooking, Milling, Fermentation, Distilliation

A
  • Cooking: Pit ovens or cement
  • Milling: Wooden floor, bats, stone wheel or mechanical shredder
  • Fermentation: Stone vessel, cement, wood, clay, earthenware or animal skins; can include maguey fiber (bagazo)
  • Distillation: Direct fire on alembic, copper, small or large clay vessel; wood; copper or stainless tank; can include maguey fiber (bagazo)
35
Q

Mezcal ANCESTRAL

Requirements: Cooking, Milling, Fermentation, Distilliation

A
  • Cooking: Pit ovens
  • Milling: Wooden bats or stone wheel
  • Fermentation: Stone vessel, cement, wood, clay, earthenware or animal skins; must include maguey fiber (bagazo)
  • Distillation: Direct fire on small or large clay vessel; wood; must include maguey fiber (bagazo)
36
Q

Sotol DO

est 2004

A
  • Made from Dasylirion Wheeleri plant, or desert spoon
    • Thought to be part of the agave genus until 1990s
    • DNA testing proved it to be a species of the asparagus family
  • 35-55% abv
37
Q

Bacanora DO

est 2000

A
  • Agave angustifolia (yaquiana)
  • 38-55% abv
38
Q

Raicilla

A
  • Like Tequila, produced in state of Jalisco, but made from various agaves
  • “agave moonshine”, history of unregulated production
  • Few distillers now bottling commercially
  • Official recognition yet to be achieved

Beer, Sake, Spirits (14 decks)

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