Agave Flashcards
4 DOs for Mexican distilled Spirits
- Tequila
- Mezcal
- Sotol
- Bacanora
Tequila
- Major state of production
- 4 other states with areas of production
- 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)
Tequila
- 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
*
Tequila
Age Indications
- 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)
Mezcal
Age Indications
- 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
Mezcal
Most common and authorized Agave varieties
-
Agave Angustifolia
- Espadin
- ” Esperrima
- ” Weberi
- ” Patatorum
- ” Salmiana
Mezcal DO
Year Est.
1994
(last modified 2015)
Mezcal
Number of states for production
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
Mezcal DO
Permitted Additives
Mezcal Permitted Additives: up to 5% of volume
- Insects
- Fruit
- Herbs
- Honey
- Coloring agents
- Meat
Agave
Harvest
- 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)
Agave
Plant
- 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
Agave
Espadín
- 80-90% of Mezcal production
- Matures in 6-8 years
- Easy to cultivate, high-quality spirit, encouraged by Mexican government
Agave
Karwinskii
- Takes longer to mature
- Mineral, chalky
-
Many subspecies
- Tobasiche: most notable, often wild
- Barril
- Tripon
- Largo
- Madrecuixe
Agave
Arroqueño
- Very high quality
- About 18 years to mature
- Large plants (yield is 5-10 bottles per plant), looks like a big espadín
Agave
Tobalá
- First “wild” variety common in the US market
- Delicate and elegant
- Recent attempts at cultivation, ripens in June
Agave
Tepextate
- Can take 20-30 years to mature
- Complex and intense
NOM
- 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)
NORMA
- Law governing Mezcal products
- i.e. NOM-070-SCFI-1944
COMERCAM
- 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
Horno
Conical earthen pit oven
Perlas
“pearls” the little bubbles that form when mezcal is shaken
Jícara
“cup”
Quiote
- Stalk that shoots up from an agave plant when it’s ready to reproduce
- Sign that the plant is ready for harvest
Bagazo
Agave fiber left over after milling, fermentation, and distillation
Pechuga
Finished mezcal redistilled with local fruits, grains, and nuts, and a raw chicken or turkey breast
Ensemble
Mezcal made from different agaves which are processed all together
Silvestre
Truly wild agave
Margarita
2oz Tequila
.75 oz Triple Sec
.75 oz Lime
Shake with ice, strain, salted rim
Paloma
2 oz Tequila
.5 oz Lime
Grapefruit Soda
Build in highball with ice, salted rim
Tequila Sunrise
1.5 oz Tequila
3 oz Orange Juice
.5 oz Grenadine
Build in highball with ice, do not stir
Naked and Famous
.75 oz Mezcal
.75 oz Yellow Chartreuse
.75 oz Aperol
Lime
Shake with ice, strain
Mezcal
3 Categories
Mezcal, Artisanal, Ancestral
Mezcal
Requirements: Cooking, Milling, Fermentation, Distillation
(vs Artesanal and Ancestral)
- 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
Mezcal ARTESANAL
Requirements: Cooking, Milling, Fermentation, Distilliation
- 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)
Mezcal ANCESTRAL
Requirements: Cooking, Milling, Fermentation, Distilliation
- 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)
Sotol DO
est 2004
-
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
Bacanora DO
est 2000
- Agave angustifolia (yaquiana)
- 38-55% abv
Raicilla
- 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
Bacanora:
Like tequila, bacanora is thus a type of mezcal, made in a particular place with a specific breed of agave. Bacanora is made using Angustifolia Haw agave, better known as Agave Pacifica. Unlike the blue agave used to make tequila, most agave pacifica harvested for use in bacanora grows wild.
