¡Salud Mexico! The story of tequila, mezcal and pulque

When it comes to tequila, most people already know about lick, sip and suck. But what’s the deal with tequila’s smoky older sibling, mezcal? And why are young Mexicans worshipping the foamy drink of the Aztec gods, pulque? These three drinks are all made from the agave plant, but each has its own personality. Here we take a closer look.

Mezcal

Smoky deep flavors and a meteoric rise to fame

From humble beginnings in the nothing-fancy towns of Oaxaca, mezcal is currently enjoying its moment in the spotlight. Once a laborer’s drink, it’s now found in dimly lit, fashionable mezcalerías where they offer menus of flavored and regional mezcals with a fuss usually reserved for wine. Mezcal tastes smoky, spiced and slightly greener than tequila, with its fans hailing it as a pure tipple that goes down smoothly and never betrays you with a hangover the next day.

Making mezcal

Unlike tequila and pulque, mezcal is cooked by hand. The agave plant is piled onto the embers of a fire pit in the ground which is then loaded with volcanic rock to hold the heat and sealed with earth and more logs to slowly cook over a few days. It’s in this earthen oven that the mezcal gets its smoky taste, taking on the specific flavors of the ground and wood.

Drinking mezcal