In Defense Of Mezcal

There are few things I love more than 100 percent blue agave tequila. I have been known to drink it in all types of creations (and even occasionally from a vuvuzela).

But in the last several years, I started an affair with another agave-based artisanal spirit: mezcal. Like many, I initially cringed at the thought of painfully shooting badly made mezcal from a bottle with a worm in it. (Sorry, Toby Keith, but please stick to music. A worm belongs nowhere near a bottle of quality liquor.)

So how does a man fall for these two related spirits? Well, just as you can enjoy single malts from both Speyside and Islay, you can do the same with tequila and mezcal.

While some say mezcal is merely smoky tequila, it's more than that. Yes, mezcal does have smoky characteristics that come from slow-cooking the agave in traditional pits in the ground, but they vary in intensity depending upon the producer.

Climate, elevation, and soil can be very different as well. And while tequila distillers can only use a single type of agave, mezcal can be made from a few dozen varieties. The end results are uniquely complex bottlings that deserve serious respect. Look out for some of my favorite brands: Del Maguey, Sombra, and Ilegal.

The liquor also offers bartenders many options to make tasty libations, from original recipes to twists on classics. I added mezcal to the Port Wine Cocktail #3, which I found in The Savoy Cocktail Book. Another good one to try is my mezcal variation on a sour.

And when drinking mezcal, remember the ancient Zapotec toast "stigibeu," which is a salute to your health, the health of your friends, and the life of the planet, Mother Earth. Now that's something everybody can love.

Get the recipes for Jacques Bezuidenhout's Port Wine Cocktail #3 and Maguey Sour on Liquor.com.

— Jacques Bezuidenhout

Jacques Bezuidenhout is a national cocktail and tequila ambassador for Partida Tequila and the master mixologist for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. He is also a Liquor.com advisor. This article was originally published at In Defense of Mezcal. For more stories like this, subscribe to Liquor.com for the best of all things cocktails and spirit.