MEZCAL ULTRAMARINE

MEZCAL

Mezcal (mes-kal) generally refers to all agave-based distilled liquors that are not tequila. Tequila is made only from the blue agave plant and usually produced in the town Tequila and its surroundings of Jalisco.

Tequilas must be produced from a minimum of 51% agave while mezcals must be made from 100% agave, and there are several different varietes of agave used each producing a different flavor of mezcal. About 90% of mezcal is made with the espadín agave.

The word mezcal means “cooked maguey” and comes from Nahuatl, one of the ancient languages of Mexico. The word maguey (used to represent the pre-Columbian “tree of wonders”) is synonymous with agave, a relative to the Lily and  Amaryllis. The conquistadores brought to Mexico the distillation process, which enables the production of strong spirits.

There are several types of mezcal, and there is a broad range of quality in terms of smoothness, flavor nuances and smokiness. For example there is the tobala mezcal which is made from the heart of tobala maguey that grows wild and is only distilled in earternware pots, (makes about 5% of the mezcal production) the mezcal with a worm, mezcal with no additives except a particular herb or fruit zest or more herbaceous products.

Then there is mezcal de pechuga which is an artisanal product only produced in a few mountain villages in the State of Oaxaca.Its finished mezcal distilled a third time with a chicken breast along with certain fruits and other ingreidents, made by hanging a raw chicken breast in the still or over the top of the vat during production, imparting a subtle flavor nuance in the spirit as well as a bit of body created by the vaporized fat. The still is closed and the distilling process proceeds over the course of a few weeks. When complete and the still is opened, nothing except the bones is left of the chicken breast. The finished product is said to taste fruity and floral without any chicken taste.

And then we have the miner´s mezcal which is the product from the first distillation which in the past was used as a part of the miner`s salary.

MEZCAL ULTRAMARINE

The Ultramarine mezcal, is produced by distilling “mezcalero” agave grown in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico where the plants are harvested at the age of  7 to 10 years old. The spiky “leaves” are cut off, to keep the heart of the plant, which can weigh up to 150 kilos…. Each heart is cut up with a machete to facilitate its cooking.

The agave hearts are baked in an earthen oven, then crushed, let to ferment and distilled. Its then bottled after being aged for several months in oak casks. For the cooking, stones are fired at very high temperatures at the bottom of an earth oven, full of agave pieces. These are braised for two or three days. This traditional cooking technique gives mezcal its unique smoky taste which differs mezcal from tequila.

Mezcal Ultramarine is now sold “reposado” and an “anejo” is being prepared in barrels in Oaxaca.

THE WORM

The legendary worm in the bottle…not all mezcals contains any worm even though this one did. I can`t really see the point in using it and i asked about it as well. According to Ultramarine the worm (guzano in Spanish) colonizes some agaves. It is cooked in steam before being introduced in each bottle. It is believed that this practice, particular to the mezcal, started in the mid XX century.

One thing for sure is that there is nothing to support the myth that the worm contains hallucinogenic properties.

Curious as to why they still use the worm, is it just a marketing device… or also a traditional practise? and if so from when and why?  i made some research on it and found that the gusano worm is in fact not a worm, but rather a caterpillar which indeed is infesting some of the agave plants.

And i found that in the production of mezcal it is said to have served three primary functions over the years. First – that before there were any labeling or regulation of mezcal, a gusanito was inserted into a bottle of mezcal as proof to the purchaser that the liquor had a sufficiently high alcohol content as an acceptable high alcohol content preserved the gusanito.

Second – today its used as a marketing device. Actually I don`t think the problem is the worm itself, rather the myth around it. But for many people a worm in the bottle is of course outputting and for vegetarians its gross, personally i prefer to be without.

Third – it is said to add a distinct flavor to the mezcal, which i`m not the one to have any opinion about as i haven`t been able to taste test. The gusano has been a staple in Oaxacan cooking for generations, often sold live in the marketplace, or dried. Considered a delicacy  in Mexico it is found on restaurant menus throughout the nation. Its used in salsas in the form of ground gusano. And there is sal de gusano which is a combination of salt, chili and worm used in ritual imbibing as well as adding flavor to fruit, and its also used in rimming glasses for drinks.

Well worm or not worm, i was curious to see how this mezcal tasted and eager to try one of the recipes that were provided with the bottle. The flavor is very intensely smokey, like a heavily peaty scotch, and it has a sort of “home-grown” taste and the nose is also very smoky and almost offensive The flavor is intense with a real earthy-smoky flavour which stays very long. This is a spirit for those who likes heavy smokiness.

It mixes quite well though adding a interesting smoky flavor to cocktails (especially fruity cocktails) and i decided to first try one which incorporated this mezcal with passionfruit juice, grenadine and orgeat. The recipe cards uses french measurements in parts, so i hope i did figure it out in the right proportions. I also added a sprinkle of fresh lime to this and dropped a few pieces of lime in the glass as well.

MATATLAN OAX

1 oz mezcal

1 oz passionfruit juice

1/4 oz grenadine, here i used my homemade hibiscus grenadine

1/4 oz orgeat, homemade too

sprinkle of fresh lime

Garnish with a sugar rim

Rim the glass, then add everything except grenadine to a shaker and shake over ice, strain and pour into tumbler filled with fresh crushed ice and a few lime quarters. Add a splash of grenadine.

This cocktail tasted very nice and fruity with a pronounced touch of smoke. Its a cocktail that has grown on me and i will have one now and then.

MAYAHUEL

This cocktail uses coffee liqueur, the original recipe calls for Kahlùa which i didn´t have so i used Tia Maria. It also calls for a coffee bean garnish on top.

1 oz mezcal

0.75 oz pineapple juice

1 barspoon coffee liqueur

1/4 oz orgeat

Shake and strain into a tumbler with crushed ice. For garnish i used a pineapple spear, zest of limequat and brandied cherry. The coffee flavor plays nice with the mezcal and this drink is also tasty.