TEQUILA & MEZCAL

Born of heat, heart, and hard graft, Tequila and mezcal are Mexico’s most famous exports. And they don’t need a lime wedge or salt rim to prove themselves. They start life in the agave fields, all sun, spikes, and scars, before becoming the kind of spirits that make bartenders misty-eyed and drinkers say, “I never knew Tequila could taste like that.”

While both are rooted in the same plant family, the variety is wild. Mezcal literally means any spirit distilled from the agave plant. So Tequila is, in fact, a type of mezcal. But the rules for calling something “Tequila” are much stricter. Tequila is made only from the Blue Weber agave, grown in defined regions (mostly Jalisco) under a denomination of origin. Mezcal is the broader category where many agave species (over 30) can be used across ten Mexican states. That means a huge variety of styles. You’ll get vegetal, grassy, floral, smoky, mineral or almost savoury notes depending on plant, soil, region and method.

Tequila tends to be steamed or oven-cooked, and then distilled, giving a cleaner flavour profile. Meanwhile, many mezcals roast the agave hearts in earthen pits, crush them (often by hand or with animal power), ferment with wild yeasts, then distil in clay or copper stills. That’s where the smoky, earthy, sometimes rebellious characters come from.

These are the most common styles of Tequila. Blanco (or Joven) is usually bottled unaged. It's a clear spirit with pure agave flavour (crisp, peppery, vegetal). Then Reposado means rested in oak for at least two months (up to a year). The wood smooths the edges, adds vanilla and spice. Añejo is aged longer, between one and three years. Richer, rounder, more layered. Extra Añejo is three years or more, often deep amber in colour and dangerously smooth. It’s where agave spirit starts cosplaying as fine whisky. Mezcal can be bottled in these categories, too, but there's also a lot of regional variation to explore.

We’ve got some of the best names in the game, from Patrón and Herradura to Del Maguey and Montelobos. And if you haven’t tried a Mezcal Negroni or a Tequila Old Fashioned, consider this your polite shove in the right direction.