Mezcal-Brandy of the God

The pulque, the "wine of the gods" as the Aztecs called him, was popular with the Spanish conquerors. But they were also accustomed harder. The method was still relatively new, but after the Spaniards had already learned almost 400 years ago by the Arabs that they could generate as brandy by distillation of alcoholic beverages such as wine high yield important. And so they tried to apply the method on the pulque.

You distilled from the various species of agave - there are about 170 of them in Mexico - a high-percentage shot, they mezcal wine called, Mezcalwein (after the Nahuatl word mexcalli forliquor). The production process was quite simple (as was fired in clay pots that are no longer used in Europe for centuries now). The distilleries were small rural distilleries whose raw materials came mainly from their own lands and their products were made ​​for personal use within the family and the village.

However, in its colonies saw the central government in Spain more customers for domestic production as its own producers, this was also true for the mezcal. End of the 16th century, the burning of Mezcalin Mexico was forbidden to promote sales of Spanish brandy. However, the prohibition of Agevenbrandes led only to the fact that the liquor was burned black, so that the prohibition was lifted in the 17th century and was instead a tax levied on Agavenbrand.

Were formed out of two regions where the production of mezcal has been driven. Firstly, in the later state of Oaxaca, southeast of Mexico City, on the other hand in the later state of Jalisco, northwest of Mexico City. In Jalisco Tequila with the city as a center of liquor production was particularly well here the growing blue agave, theagavetequilana weber used. The vino de mezcal tequila ("Mezcalwein of Tequila"), whose name was later shortened to Tequila, was mainly distributed in the nearby mining towns since the 1880s, since 1888, he was even exported to the United States.Inspired thereof sat since 1900 a industrialization of tequila production with significant increases in production quantities.

In the state of Oaxaca, with its emphasis on the local market mezcal production was preserved. And the small local distilleries. So there were in 1892 already 361 registered distillery in 2005 was 530 (compared to in Jalisco and neighboring states there are now about 130 distilleries for the production of tequila).

For a better marketing of Mezcal the norm NORMA Oficial Mexicana was 1994 NOM-070-SCFI introduced in 1994 for the production of mezcal. And since 2005, no Mezcal may officially be traded, which is not the COMERCAM-seal bears. Of the 170 Mexican agave species may be only 23 used for the production (or in other words, only agave, which have been produced from one of these 23 species of agave, mezcal itself may then call, all others must live as agave periods - which, as the success story of tequila has shown can lead to significant losses for the producer). In addition, an agave liquor mezcal may only call if it comes from a specific region. These are in addition to the states of Oaxaca Guererro, Zacatecas, Durango and San Luis Potosi. 

By specifications and quality control is indeed achieved in this way a certain quality standard, on the other hand, the diversity of Mezcal is thereby reduced.

 
 
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