Mexico’s other agave spirits

There’s more to Mexican spirits than tequila, so start exploring the territory of mezcal, raicilla and bacanora and discover a whole new dimension to the agave plant

- LAURA FOSTER

While tequila is Mexico’s most famous spirit by far, it’s not the only one produced in the central American country. A clutch of others also exist, with the majority also made from agave, just as tequila is. As consumer awareness and appreciation of tequila grows, a ripple effect is occurring across these other spirits categories, as new products make their way beyond Mexico’s borders.

So what are these spirits, and what sets them apart? Let’s explore their similarities first, starting with the agave.

Agave is a genus of plants that boasts about 270 different species, and while their characteristics vary widely, it can be said that they all take a number of years to mature, and they all have a piña, or heart of the plant, which is used to ferment and make distilled spirits. While tequila can only be made from one variety – Agave Tequilana Weber Azul, often known as ‘Blue Agave’ or ‘Blue Weber’, most other agave spirits may use any number of different varieties.

When it comes to production there is a process that’s more or less the same for all agave spirits: the agave is harvested and its leaves removed, the heart of the piña is cooked, and then milled or shredded. The resulting juice (and sometimes the crushed fibres, too) is fermented and then distilled. Variations in cooking, pressing and distillation methods will be found everywhere, but there is no real uniformity of approach within the categories themselves – stills might be made from stainless steel, copper, or even have chambers made out of tree trunks. The cooking process can be huge and industrial, or involve brick ovens, or even pits in the ground.