![]() “I never could have dreamed I’d be with you today, sharing the spirit my family has made for generations.”Īs moderator David Suro put it, “Mezcal is hot.” “Families who were separated for many years by work are now together again in Mexico, making mezcal,” said mezcalero Emilio Vieyra, whose Siembra Metl brand will soon be available in the states. It’s an artisanal process that predates the current fascination for all things artisanal. Tequila’s gone mainstream, but most mezcaleros still harvest plants with machetes, roast the sugar-filled piñas (or hearts) in earthen pits, crush them with stone wheels powered by horses or mules, and then distill the liquid in simple clay or copper stills, as they’ve done for at least 400 years. Mezcal, on the other hand, is made from many agave species, most commonly espadín, but also slow-growing tobalá and even lechuguilla. So while tequila is technically mezcal, not all mezcal is tequila, which must be made in specific regions of Mexico from the blue agave species. Mezcal is the name given to all agave-based spirits. I taste smoke and fire, earth and grass, pepper, and citrus, but there’s something else I can’t put my finger on. Call 713/225-3310 More on the San Antonio Cocktail Conference at Along with 60 or so other mezcal enthusiasts, I’ve claimed my spot in the upstairs party room at Bohanan’s steakhouse for a tasting of six mezcal varieties and to hear the stories of their makers, or mezcaleros.īefore me are six champagne flutes with tiny samples of mezcal made from three family distilleries in Oaxaca and Michoacán. Call 512/480-0781 The Pastry War is at 310 Main St. It’s all part of the 4th annual San Antonio Cocktail Conference, a charity-driven, four-day party that presents more than 50 drink-related seminars to the trade and general public. It’s one o’clock on a sunny Saturday in January, and I’ve come to San Antonio for the day to learn more about mezcal, that delicious agave spirit that’s the mysterious older cousin to tequila.
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