Esta vez nos acompañan Baron Balche, Mezcal Buen Viaje, La Niña del Mezcal, Mezcal Delirio, La Chingonería, Hercules, Velvet Soda, Anís Gala, Spice Market, Lactography, Humo y Sal, Las Soupremes, Tempeh México, Masa Madre, Artesanales del Sur, Helados Finno, 13:21 y Deli Lou.

Cocina y Barra

Trailer Viva Mezcal from pedro jimenez gurria on Vimeo.

We are very excited to be back in the City of Angels and announce our participation in the Hola Mexico Film Festival this year. As a collaborative effort between LA’s mezcal girl Bricia Lopez and Mezcalistas, Guelaguetza will be the scene where Oaxacan Chef Rodolfo Castellanos and Filmmaker Pedro Jimenez will bring the magic of mezcal to life with a special movie screening of Viva Mezcal.

Viva Mezcal is a documentary that deals with the politics and people surrounding the world of mezcal. Seen through the eyes of biologists, agronomists, researchers, maestros mezcaleros, distributors, bartenders and experts on the subject, they all give a perspective of the current situation of this spirit and a possible future.

Chef Rodolfo Castellanos

After the screening Chef Rodolfo Castellanos from Origen restaurant in Oaxaca, will present a dinner complimented by a mezcal tasting, including yours truly and more!

There are a limited amount of tickets, so we encourage everyone to get their tickets early!

Guelaguetza Restaurant
3014 W. Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006

Thursday, May 16th
8pm

Trailer Viva Mezcal from pedro jimenez gurria on Vimeo.

Algunos han oído del Bacanora, un mezcal producido en el estado de Sonora, o el Sotol, algunas veces confundido por mezcal. Sin embargo, no muchos conocen que existen 5 diferentes tipos de Destilados Artesanales de Origen en  México.

Los Destilados Artesanales de Origen son bebidas 100% mexicanas que están elaboradas con diferentes variedades de agave o maguey, o en el caso del Sotol está elaborado a partir del Sereque (Dasylirion), un primo de la planta de agave, y todos son producidos de manera artesanal en más de 15 estados de la República.

Estas bebidas son elaboradas por pequeños productores usando técnicas tradicionales. Por ejemplo: cosecha manual, hornos de tierra, fermentación natural, destilación en pequeños lotes en alambiques de cobre u ollas de barro, y absolutamente ningún ingrediente artificial.

DARDO

Por suerte, un grupo de personas en México llamado COMANDO (Comité Nacional para la Sustentabilidad del Maguey, Mezcal y Destilados de Origen), decidieron unirse para hacer una campaña nacional y promover la producción artesanal del Mezcal, Bacanora, Sotol, Raicilla y otros Destilados de Agave llamada: Amigos del Mezcal.

El objetivo de esta campaña es promover los diferentes tipos de destilados que se producen en México, para converger en un festival magno DARDO que se llevará a cabo el 16 de Marzo 2013, donde el público podrá probar y conocer a 80 diferentes productores de las 5 categorías de destilados. Actualmente se pueden adquirir estos productos en tiendas de La Europea y La Nacional de la Condesa, pero nunca está de más llegar a conocer quién está detrás de cada uno. Así que mientras esperamos el día del gran festival, pueden conocer un poco más de los 4 mejores amigos del Mezcal:

BACANORA

Bacanora es técnicamente un Mezcal. Se obtiene de la destilación de una planta conocida como “Agave Yaquiana”, o más comúnmente identificada como ESPADIN (Agave Angustifolia). Toma su nombre de un pueblo ubicado en la Sierra Centro, al este de Hermosillo, y legalmente se le conoce como Bacanora porque tiene su propia Denominación de Origen, otorgada en el año 2000 y limitada a su región de producción histórica en el estado de Sonora.

SOTOL

El SOTOL es un destilado Mexicano muy especial, elaborado de la planta Dasylirion. Estas plantas pertenecen a la familia Nolinoideae, la cual la hace mucho más cercana a una pata de elefante que a un agave. Su cosecha, cocimiento, fermentación y destilación son muy parecidos a los del mezcal, lo cual hace que constantemente se le confunda por uno. La planta del Sotol es resistente al clima drástico del desierto. Sobrevive a un ambiente hostil, el cual actúa como un filtro natural donde solo las plantas más fuertes sobreviven. El Sotol, también cuenta con su propia Denominación de Origen la cual pertenece a los estados de Chihuahua, Coahuila y Durango.

RAICILLA

La Raicilla es un tipo de Mezcal elaborado a partir de los agaves silvestres Lechuguilla, Inaequidens o Maximiliana y se produce en el Oeste de Jalisco. Actualmente está protegido por una marca colectiva la cual cuida de su producción y calidad, y se encuentra en proceso de obtener su propia Denominación de Origen.

OTHER AGAVE SPIRITS

Otros Destilados de Agave son bebidas que están elaboradas a partir de la destilación de diferentes plantas de agave que se encuentran fuera de las Denominaciones de Origen establecidas. En muchos casos, estas bebidas se elaboran de la misma manera en que se elaboran los mezcales, sin embargo, no pueden llevar el nombre de ‘Mezcal’ si no se producen dentro de ninguna de las 8 regiones mezcaleras.

Los Destilados de Agave se pueden encontrar en estados como Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Puebla, Sinaloa, Yucatán y el Estado de México.

Para conocer más acerca del Mezcal y los otros Destilados Artesanales de Origen Mexicanos puedes visitar la página oficial de Amigos del Mezcal:

www.amigosdelmezcal.com

El objetivo de esta campaña es dar a conocer la riqueza de estos destilados, elaborados por pequeños productores, acercándolos a la gente y dándoles a conocer un producto auténtico, natural y 100% mexicano.

“Amigos del Mezcal”, se referiere a la relación estrecha que existe entre los destilados, ya que antiguamente todos se conocían sólo como Mezcal porque salvo el Sotol todos se hacían con diferentes tipos de agaves. Inclusive el Sotol era considerado como una variedad de maguey, por eso podemos hablar del concepto “vino-mezcal”, es decir, diferentes variedades de “vino-mezcal” en función de los Agaves con los que fueron elaborados.

Amigos del Mezcal te invita a conocer los destilados de origen en los centros de consumo participantes,  tiendas oficiales y en el  festival DARDO 2013, el cual se realizará el 16 de marzo en Campo Marte en la Ciudad de México.

LA COMBI DE AMIGOS DEL MEZCAL

Mientras esperas el segundo festival DARDO 2013, puedes disfrutar también de un destilado de origen a bordo de la Combi de Amigos del Mezcal. La combi estará circulando por la ciudad durante los meses de Febrero y Marzo. No te pierdas las siguientes fechas y rutas:

Febrero:

14 – Col. Roma: Río de Janeiro, Luis Cabrera, Álvaro Obregón y Concierto de Luis Miguel en el Auditorio Nacional de 9:00 a 12:00pm

15 -COYOACAN: JARDIN CENTENARIO, FELIPE CARRILLO PUERTO de 9:00 a 12:00pm

16 – LIQUITS CENTRO por confirmar

17 – CONDESA: PARQUE MEXICO, MICHOACAN, NUEVO LEON de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

21 – LOMAS: PRADO NORTE, PRADO SUR. de 9:00pm a 12:00

22 – BOSQUES DE LAS LOMAS: DURAZNOS, CHAMIZAL de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

23 – ROMA: RIO DE JANEIRO, LUIS CABRERA, ALVARO OBREGON de 9:00pm a 12:00

24 – SANTA FE: VASCO DE QUIROGA, AV SANTA FE de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

28 – SAN ANGEL: SAN JANCITO, AV DE LA PAZ de 9:00pm a 12:00

Marzo:

1 – COYOACAN: JARDIN CENTENARIO, FELIPE CARRILLO PUERTO de 9:00pm a 12:00

2 – SANTA FE: VASCO DE QUIROGA, AV SANTA FE de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

7 – BOSQUES DE LAS LOMAS: DURAZNOS, CHAMIZAL de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

8 – POLANCO: PARQUE LINCON, MAZARIK de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

9 – PEDREGAL: AV DE LAS FUENTES, LLANURA C.U. de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

14 – LOMAS: PRADO NORTE, PRADO SUR. de 4:00pm a 7:00 pm

15 – VIVE LATINO

16 - FESTIVAL DARDO

Para conocer más acerca de Amigos del Mezcal y los destilados participantes, vista la página oficial:

www.amigosdelmezcal.com

Some have heard of Bacanora, a mezcal produced in the northern state of Sonora, or Sotol, sometimes mistaken for Mezcal, but a Mexican spirit nevertheless. But not many know that there are actually 5 different types of Distilled Spirits of Origin in Mexico.

The Distilled Spirits of Origin are authentic mexican spirits made from different varieties of agave or maguey, or in the case of Sotol it is made from Sereque (Dasylirion), a cousin of the Agave plant, and all are produced in small batches in over 15 Mexican states.

These spirits are elaborated by small producers using traditional techniques. For example: manual harvest, underground oven roasting, natural fermentation, small batch distillation in copper stills or clay ovens, and absolutely no added artificial ingredients.

AMIGOS DEL MEZCAL

Lucky for us, a group of people in Mexico called COMANDO (Comité Nacional para la Sustentabilidad del Maguey, Mezcal y Destilados de Origen), decided to get together to make a national campaign and spread the word about the production of Mezcal, Bacanora, Sotol, Raicilla, and other Agave Spirits called: Amigos del Mezcal.

The goal of this campaign is to promote the different kinds of spirits that Mexico produces, converging into a festival on March 16th, 2013 in Mexico City called DARDO, where the general public will be able to taste and meet 80 different producers of the 5 categories of spirits.

While a small example of all of these categories can be seen in the United States, tasting spirits can never be a bad excuse to visit the Big City. So if you have plans of crossing the border any time during 2013, March and Mexico City are the place to be! In the meantime, get to know each of one the 4 friends of Mezcal:

BACANORA

Bacanora is technically a Mezcal, obtained from the distillation of a plant known as “Agave Yaquiana” or most commonly known as ESPADIN (Angustifolia Agave), in the state of Sonora. It takes its name from a town located in the Sierra Centro, to the east of Hermosillo, and is legally called Bacanora because it has its own Denomination of Origin, which was declared in the year 2000, limited to its historic production region.

SOTOL

SOTOL is a very special Mexican spirit, made from the Dasylirion plant. These plants belong to the Nolinoideae family, closer to an elephant’s foot or Beaucarnea plant than an agave. It’s harvest, roasting, fermentation and distillation processes are very similar to the ones used when making mezcal, which is why it is commonly mistaken for one. The Sotol plant is resistant to the harsh desert winters and blazing summers. It survives a hostile environment which makes it a natural filter, where only the strongest plants survive. Sotol also has its own Denomination of Origin belonging to the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango.

RAICILLA

Raicilla is a type of Mezcal made from wild agaves Lechuguilla, Inaequidens, or Maximiliana and is produced in Western Jalisco. It is currently protected by a collective trademark which protects its production and quality, and is close to becoming a Denomination of Origin.

OTHER AGAVE SPIRITS

Other Agave Spirits are spirits that are made of the distillation of agave plants outside of all the other Denomination of Origin regions. These spirits are sometimes made identically to mezcal, however, they cannot be named ‘Mezcal’ if they are not produced in any of the 8 Mezcal producing states.

They can be found in states like Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Puebla, Sinaloa, Yucatán and Estado de México.

To know more about Mezcal and the other Mexican Spirits you can visit the official page of Amigos del Mezcal:

www.amigosdelmezcal.com

]]> http://laninadelmezcal.com/the-road-to-mezcal-and-beyond/feed/ 0 http://laninadelmezcal.com/mitos-del-mezcal/ http://laninadelmezcal.com/mitos-del-mezcal/#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:33:54 +0000 admin http://laninadelmezcal.com/?p=426 ¿Cuál es más fuerte… el mezcal o el tequila?

The prohibition of mezcal by the state in Mexico began in 1785, when the Spanish Crown prohibited the production and sale of national distilled spirits like mezcal, aguardiente and coconut liquor, which competed with the imported Spanish products like wine and brandy.

10 years later, the Crown granted Jose Maria Guadalupe Cuervo permission to produce “vino de mezcal de tequila”, and the rest is history… (Click here for more information on the history and production of mezcal)

 ROSA MARIA

Cocktail Created by Gilbert Marquez

Gilbert Marquez is a recognized Mixologist specialized in Mezcal and other agave spirits. You can currently find him creating cocktails as the head bartender at Mercado in Santa Monica.

Ulises Torrentera
Foto: Siegrid Wiesse

Durante mi última y prolongada estancia en Oaxaca, tuve la fortuna de disfrutar al máximo de la vida cotidiana de esta maravillosa ciudad. No hay nada como comenzar el día corriendo por las calles empedradas de la Verde Antequera, mientras sus habitantes apenas despiertan y los artesanos acomodan sus puestos cuidadosamente para recibir a los visitantes pasajeros.

Por las tardes, gustaba de una caminata por el zócalo y ocasionalmente me sentaba en los Portales, sin más compañía que una cerveza bien helada para contemplar a todos los que iban pasando. Pero lo que más me agradaba de ser local en la ciudad del Mezcal, eran los ratos que pasaba conociendo más a fondo a los personajes enigmáticos que le han dado vida a esta bebida espirituosa. Personajes como Ulises Torrentera; escritor, bohemio y romántico eterno del mezcal de Oaxaca.

Breve Guía del Mezcal por Ulises Torrentera

Quien incursiona al mundo del mezcal, seguramente ha conocido o ha oído hablar de Ulises Torrentera. O tal vez se ha topado con alguna de sus publicaciones, como Mezcalaria o la célebre Breve Guía del Mezcal. Si has escuchado o pronunciado alguna vez la palabra “mezcólatra”, debes saber que pertenece a un conjunto de vocablos característicos al mundo del mezcal que fueron registrados en un catálogo denominado Mezcabulario, cuyo autor es uno de los más fascinantes mezcólatras que he tenido el placer de conocer.

Si alguna vez andas por Oaxaca y estás en busca de una aventura mezcalera, puedes encontrar a Torrentera en su mezcalería In Situ donde, además de aprender más acerca de la cultura del mezcal, podrás disfrutar de la colección de mezcales El Farolito, curada por él mismo.

MEZCABULARIO por Ulises Torrentera

• Mezcólogo: El que estudia al mezcal, desde su historia hasta el proceso de elaboración.
• Mezcalómano: Persona afecta y aficionada al mezcal.
• Mezcóforo: El que porta el mezcal. El que lleva el mezcal en las venas. También se le puede decir así al cantinero o mesero.
• Mezcólatra: El que conoce la historia, los ritos, los procedimientos de elaboración, las propiedades y gusta y degusta mezcal.
• Mezcalier: El que degusta mezcales. El término es una combinación de mezcal y sommelier. Evidentemente se contrapone a un término ya acuñado: tequilier.
• Mezcófilo: Literalmente, el que quiere al mezcal. Es aquel que prefiere al mezcal a otras bebidas pero su conocimiento para probarlo es limitado. Gusta de otras bebidas.
• Mezcófago: El que, literalmente, traga, no bebe mezcal. Acaso tendrá dos acepciones. Si se dice que el mezcólatra es mezcófago bien podemos decir que bebe en cantidades industriales. También es aquel que bebe por beber, exageradamente.
• Mezcasiarca: El que preside la mezcalaria. Es la versión mexicana del symposiarca o “jefe de banquete” griego.
• Mezcalaria: Toda fiesta que presida el mezcal.
• Mezcanáuta: El que viaja a través del mezcal (cualquier cosa que signifique esto) y no se queda en el viaje.

In Situ Mezcalería

This is why I have asked my good friend Gilbert Marquez to share his signature cocktails with us to launch our new Mezcal Mondays series.

Cocktail created by Gilbert Marquez

MARGARITA AL PASTOR

• Mezcal La Niña del Mezcal
• Blanco tequila
• Chiles en adobo puree
• Muddled pineapple and cilantro, lime juice and agave syrup
• Crushed tortilla chip, queso fresco, and salt rim

Gilbert Marquez is a recognized Mixologist specialized in Mezcal and other agave spirits. You can currently find him creating cocktails as the head bartender at Mercado in Santa Monica.

For me, the best mezcal is always the one each person likes the most. Mezcales are very much like wines. There are several factors that will have an effect on the flavor, aroma, color and body of a mezcal, and everyone’s palate is different. To understand mezcal, one must start from the beginning… and once you get to the end, take a sip.

What is Mezcal?

Mezcal is an authentic Mexican distilled spirit made from the agave plants that are found exclusively in Mexico. To this date, over 200 species of Agave are known and more than half are found only in the Mexican territory. From the agave population found in Mexico, over 30 different species are used for the production of Mezcal.

Agave

Wild Agave Potatorum (Tobala)

Agave plants can be found in their natural or wild state (silvestre), or cultivated in semidry and arid areas like the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca. One of the most common agave plants used to produce mezcal is Agave Espadín, which began to be cultivated in Oaxaca in the Mid-20th Century. More than 80% of the agave used in the palenques (mezcal factories) of Oaxaca is Agave Espadin, mainly because of the size of its piñas (some may weigh up to 150 kg) and its fruity notes.

Other varieties of agave used in mezcal include: Tobala, Madrecuixe, Papalote or Cupreata, and Cenizo or Duranguensis. These are more difficult to obtain and mezcal from these plants is rare, mainly because these agaves are found in their natural state in highly remote areas.

Appelation of Origin

Mezcal’s appelation of origin was granted in 1995 and it currently pertains to 7 states in Mexico:

Oaxaca, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Durango, Zacatecas and Tamaulipas.

The Seven Mezcal Regions in Mexico

There are still other states in Mexico that produce distilled spirits made from the agave plant, such as Tequila, Bacanora and other agave spirits that do not belong to any of the “mezcal” denominated regions. There has been quite a bit of controversy over the latter in the past year, due to certain groups of people who are trying to regulate the use of the word “agave”. Thanks to the support and opposition of researchers, mixologists, producers and organizations such as the Tequila Interchange Project, these actions were halted when the IMPI (Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Intelectual) declared that they did not have sufficient legal elements to sustain their initiative.

However, the CNIT (Cámara Nacional de la Industria Tequilera) has decided to pursue the branding of the word Agave regardless of the numerous rejections by the Mexican Government. For more information on this matter or if you wish to support the agave community and respond to the CNIT (in an objective and respectful way) the reasons why we oppose the registration of the word Agave as a trademark, please click on the following link:

Production of Mezcal

Mezcal is a spirit that is still produced in the same way that it was made over 400 years ago. Its production process takes place in 5 general stages, depending on the producer:

Roasting agave piñas in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca

1) Selection and harvest of mature agave: Agave plants can take between 6-30 years to fully mature.

2) Roast of the agave piñas: Once harvested, only the agave piñas are used to make mezcal. Once all the leaves have been removed, the piñas are cut into 4-8 pieces depending on the size and are placed inside the roasting pits.  The use of wood in the roasting pits is what gives mezcal its emblematic smokiness.  The majority of the artisinal producers still use underground pits to roast the piñas, although some industrialized mezcal producers now use autoclaves to cook the agave.

Horse pulled Tahona in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca

3) Crushing of the cooked agave piñas: The cooked agave is then crushed to release the agave nectar. Some producers use “tahonas” pulled by horses or mules to crush the agave, others may even crush the agave by hand with the use of wooden mallets and canoes.

4) Fermentation: The fermentation of the “bagaso” is 100% natural.
Fermentation tubs are made out of pine or sabino wood and are kept in an open space where the natural yeasts that are found in the environment can begin the fermentation process.

Clay pot distillation in Sola de Vega, Oaxaca.
Photo courtesy of Siete Misterios.

5) Distillation: Once the fermentation process is completed, the bagaso is placed in the alambiques to separate the alcohol from the water. Most producers use traditional copper stills (300-350 liters), although there are still producers that distill in clay pots, a process that some believe can date to prehispanic times.

COMERCAM

COMERCAM (Consejo Mexicano Regulador de la Calidad del Mezcal, A.C.) is the organization that regulates the quality of mezcal, from the registration of agave fields to the bottling process and commercialization.

All agave spirits that have the appellation of origin of MEZCAL must be certified by COMERCAM.

NOM-070

All mezcals made under the NOM-070 which are regulated by COMERCAM must meet the following specifications:

• Mezcal type I must be made from 100% agave
• Mezcal type II can be made from 80% agave and 20% other sugars
• Alcohol content in mezcal can be from 36% to 55% Alc./Vol.
• A sample of each batch must be analized in a certified laboratory to verify that it meets with the appropriate chemical levels for human consumption.

TYPES OF MEZCAL

Mezcal can be categorized by type of agave, aging, region, and the characteristics of its production process (Traditional/Industrial).

The most common and official categorization of mezcal is according to the time the spirit spends aging in barrels. Mezcal can be aged in white oak barrels (new or reused) and can be categorized as:

Douglas French’s Special Reserve.
Over 12 years of aged mezcal samples.

Joven: Mezcal that has been bottled immediately after being distilled or has spent less than 2 months resting in oak barrels.

Reposado: Between 2-12 months of aging in oak barrels.

Añejo: Mezcal that has spent over 1 year aging in oak barrels.

Extra Añejo: This is not an official category yet, but it is becoming popular among some producers. These type of mezcales usually have more than 3 years of aging.

Mezcal de Gusano

Alth0ugh sometimes regarded to as a marketing scheme by the Traditional mezcal connoisseurs, the origin of the worm inside the mezcal bottle is unclear. Some believe it was created to attract the tourists in the 1950′s. In Europe, people believed the worm indicated the high alcohol content of the mezcal. In Japan, the worm was seen as an aphrodisiac and it was believed that it increased sexual virility, therefore Mexican producers inserted the worms in bottles that were destined for the Japanese market.

Mezcal con Gusano “El Cortijo”

Today, the perception of the quality of Mezcal has evolved and some now view the Mezcal con Gusano as a lower grade mezcal, as opposed to the new premium and Traditional mezcales that have entered the market in the past years. Traditionalists believe that mezcal should not be altered in any way and it should be drank over 45% alc./vol. and Joven (without any flavors added from wood or worms). However, the “gusano” or worm has been part of Oaxaca’s cuisine for generations and there are families who make outstanding Mezcal de Gusano and have made it a Tradition of their own.