Editing Mezcal (section)

==Production==
[[File:Mezcalería 8.JPG|left|thumb|Inside a mezcal producer in [[Jantetelco]], [[Morelos]] ]]
[[File:Horno.gif|thumb|right|A typical earthen oven for roasting maguey hearts]]
[[File:Roasted Agave Pinas in Oaxaca.jpg|thumb|upright|Roasted maguey (agave) hearts]]
[[File:Molino de maguey.jpg|thumb|right|Grinding cooked maguey hearts]]
[[File:Gusano de Maguey embotella.jpg|thumb|upright|Gusano de maguey in a bottle, waiting to be added to finished bottles of mezcal]]
Traditionally, mezcal is handcrafted by small-scale producers.<ref name="gooaxaca"/> A village can contain dozens of production houses, called ''fábricas'' or ''palenques'',<ref name="saltzstein">{{cite news |title= Hoping Mezcal Can Turn the Worm |first=Dan |last=Saltzstein |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/dining/22mezcal.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=21 April 2009 |access-date=9 October 2009 }}</ref> each using methods that have been passed down from generation to generation, some using the same techniques practiced 200 years ago.<ref name="llevar">{{cite news |title=Buscan llevar su mezcal a todo el mundo |url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulos/52281.html |newspaper=El Universal |location=Mexico City |date=4 February 2009 |access-date=9 October 2009 |language=es |trans-title=They seek to bring their mezcal to the whole world |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316085912/http://eluniversal.com.mx/articulos/52281.html |archive-date=16 March 2009 }}</ref> This is an important difference with tequila which is nowadays mostly produced industrially.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://foodfuntravel.com/mezcal-vs-tequila-the-history-of-tequila/ |title=Mezcal vs Tequila: The difference & The History of Tequila and Mezcal|date=26 July 2018 }}</ref>

The process begins by harvesting the plants, which can weigh {{convert|40|kg|lb|abbr=in}} each, and extracting the ''piña'', or heart, by cutting off the plant's leaves and roots.<ref name="municipio"/> The ''piñas'' are then cooked for about three days, often in pit ovens, which are earthen mounds over pits of hot rocks. This underground roasting gives mezcal its intense and distinctive smoky flavor.<ref name="terra"/><ref name="saltzstein"/> They are then crushed and mashed (traditionally by a stone wheel turned by a horse) and then left to ferment in large vats or barrels with water added.<ref name="municipio"/>

The mash is allowed to ferment, the resulting liquid collected and distilled in either clay or copper pots which will further modify the flavor of the final product.<ref name="saltzstein"/> The distilled product is then bottled and sold. Unaged mezcal is referred to as ''joven'', or young. Some of the distilled product is left to age in barrels between one month and four years, but some can be aged for as long as 12 years.<ref name="univision"/><ref name="municipio"/> Mezcal can reach an alcohol content of 55%.<ref name="univision"/> Like [[tequila]], mezcal is distilled twice. The first distillation is known as ''ordinario'', and comes out at around 75 proof (37.5% alcohol by volume). The liquid must then be distilled a second time to raise the alcohol percentage.

Mezcal is highly varied, depending on the species of agave used, the fruits and herbs added during fermentation and the distillation process employed, creating subtypes with names such as ''de gusano, tobalá, pechuga, blanco, minero, cedrón, de alacrán, crema de café'' and more.<ref name="terra"/> A special recipe for a specific mezcal type known as ''de pechuga'' is distilled with a chicken breast. Other variations flavor the mash with cinnamon, pineapple slices, ''plátanos manzanos'', and sugar, each imparting a particular character to the mezcal.<ref name="taibo"/> Most mezcal, however, is left untouched, allowing the flavors of the agave used to come forward.

Not all bottles of mezcal contain a "[[Mezcal worm|worm]]" (actually the larva of a moth, ''[[Comadia redtenbacheri]]'', that can infest agave plants), but if added, it is added during the bottling process.<ref name="taibo"/> There are conflicting stories as to why such a thing would be added. Some state that it is a marketing ploy.<ref name="saltzstein"/> Others state that it is there to prove that the mezcal is fit to drink,<ref name="univision"/> and still others state that the larva is there to impart flavor. Similar ingedients are scorpions (''de alacrán'') and [[Snake wine|snakes.]]<ref name="municipio"/><ref name="taibo"/>

The two types of mezcal are those made of 100% agave and those mixed with other ingredients, with at least 60% agave. Both types have four categories. ''Joven'' (white) mezcal is clear and hardly aged. ''Dorado'' (golden) is not aged but [[caramel]] is added. This is more often done with a mixed mezcal. ''Reposado'' is aged in wood barrels from two to nine months. This can be done with 100% agave or mixed mezcals. ''Añejo'' is aged in barrels for a minimum of 12 months. The best of this type are generally aged from 18 months to three years. If the ''añejo'' is of 100% agave, it is usually aged for about four years.<ref name="univision"/>

Mexico has about {{convert|330000|ha|acre}} cultivating agave for mezcal, owned by 9,000 producers.<ref name="siglo"/> Over {{convert|6|e6l|sp=us}} are produced in Mexico annually, with more than 150 brand names.<ref name="niño">{{cite news |title=Productores de mezcal van tras jóvenes |last=Niño de Haro |first=Humberto |url=http://www.el-universal.com.mx/articulos_h/46077.html |newspaper=El Universal |location=Mexico City |date=13 March 2008 |access-date=19 October 2009 |language=es |trans-title=Mezcal producers getting younger |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221025439/http://www.el-universal.com.mx/articulos_h/46077.html |archive-date=21 February 2013 }}</ref>

The industry generates about 29,000 jobs directly and indirectly. Certified production in 2008 amounted to more than {{convert|2|e6l|sp=us}}; {{convert|434000|L|sp=us}} were exported, generating 21&nbsp;million dollars in income. To truly be called mezcal, the liquor must come from certain areas. States that have certified mezcal agave growing areas with production facilities are Durango, [[Guanajuato]], [[Guerrero]], Oaxaca, [[San Luis Potosí]], [[Puebla]], [[Michoacan]], [[Tamaulipas]], and [[Zacatecas]]. About 30 species of agave are certified for use in the production of mezcal.<ref name="siglo"/> Oaxaca has 570 of the 625 mezcal production facilities in Mexico,<ref name="niño"/> but some in-demand mezcals come from Guerrero, as well.<ref name="barrios">{{cite book |last1=De Barrios |first1=Virginia B. |title=A Guide to Tequila, Mezcal and Pulque |year=2002 |publisher=Minutiae Mexicana S.A de C.V. |location=Mexico City |isbn=968-7074-46-9 |pages=39–44 }}</ref> In Tamaulipas, 11 municipalities have received authorization to produce authentic mezcal with the hopes of competing for a piece of both the Mexican national and international markets. The agave used here is ''agave Americano, agave verde'' or ''maguey de la Sierra'', which are native to the state.<ref name="tamaulipeco">{{cite news |title= Mezcal tamaulipeco quiere conquistar paladares nacionales |url= http://www.el-universal.com.mx/notas/618073.html |newspaper=El Universal |location=Mexico City |date=9 August 2009 |access-date=9 October 2009 |language=es |trans-title=Mezcal from Tamaulipas wanted to conquer national palates }}</ref>

Oaxaca produces 90% of the mezcal in Mexico, which presents a serious environmental threat to the state, according to local deputy Elena Cuevas Hernández. She notes that {{convert|10|L|spell=in|sp=us}} of water and {{convert|7|kg|lb|spell=in}} of firewood are required for the production of {{convert|1|L|spell=in|sp=us}} of mezcal, which comes to {{convert|10|L|spell=in|sp=us}} per batch consuming {{convert|6000|L|sp=us}} of water and {{convert|2100|kg|lb}} of firewood. In 2019, Mexico produced {{convert|7.1|e6l|sp=us}} of mezcal and consumed {{convert|1429000000|L|sp=us}} of water and {{convert|45000000|kg|ST}} of wood. Water is used both for irrigation of the maguey plants and cooling the distilled product; wood is used to bake the leaves. Certain communities already control or prohibit cutting firewood. The deputy also warns of pollution related to inadequate disposal of rotting stalks left in the fields and pollutants with low [[pH]] (3 or 4) and [[methane]] (CH<sub>4</sub>). Yet another problem is the low pay that producers receive.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zavala |first1=Juan Carlos |title=Uso del agua, el lado oscuro tras el "boom" de la industria del mezcal en Oaxaca |url=https://oaxaca.eluniversal.com.mx/sociedad/11-01-2021/uso-del-agua-el-lado-oscuro-tras-el-boom-de-la-industria-del-mezcal-en-oaxaca |website=Oaxaca |access-date=11 January 2021 |language=es |date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

Despite the similar name, mezcal does not contain [[mescaline]] or other [[psychedelic drug|psychedelic]] substances.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Goodyear |first=Dana |date=March 28, 2016 |title=Mezcal Sunrise |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/04/the-mezcal-tour-of-oaxaca |access-date=June 29, 2024 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hayward |first=Tim |date=May 5, 2017 |title=Magical mezcal: a journey to Mexico's agave field |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6441d308-2f89-11e7-9555-23ef563ecf9a |access-date=June 29, 2024 |work=[[Financial Times]]}}</ref>