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Digestive
Mezcal
Summer
sun provides a great excuse for a get together, and nothing says
'party' like tequila... But before you can say "salt, lemon, and lime
time", I'd like to introduce you to Mezcal: tequila's older, sultrier
sister.
Mezcal - and tequila - are made the from the agave plant which,
contrary to popular belief, is not a cactus but is, in fact, part of
the lily family. Agave plants produce a sweet syrup with a similar
consistency to honey, funnily enough, called agave syrup. Its lovely
stuff: lower in fat and gives gentler hangovers. It can be used as a
sugar substitute in almost any recipe, and you can find it in most good
health shops and behind the bar at The Hide.
People have been making alcohol from agave since the dawn of time (I'm
being liberal here). Initially, it was made into "pulque" a low a.b.v.
beer-ish drink. While invading the Spanish needed a cheap drink as
importing brandy was very expensive and prone to capture on the trip
from Europe by those brigands and pirates: The English. So, putting
their viticultural and distillation skills to good use, they made
pulque into a mezcal wine, and eventually into the big girl herself;
smoky Mezcal.
Mezcal and tequila are some of the most heavily regulated spirits out
there; little surprise that Mezcal is known as the 'cognac of Mexico'.
Whereas Tequila can only be made from the blue agave, mezcal can be
made from 28
approved varieties of Agave and this gives each grower and distiller
great variety. At the same time, it needs more skill to get the
flavours to interact. Geographical restrictions designate where Mezcal
can be made. More importantly, unlike tequila, Mezcal must be bottled
in Mexico. Lastly, Mezcal must be 100% agave. I like to think that
helps the hangover.
On the production side of things, the agave plant has to reach maturity
before it can be harvested. So at the tender age of eight its spiky
leaves are removed leaving a 'pina'.
The pinas are baked in underground pits lined with stones and agave
plant leaves for a minimum of three days. This gives Mezcal its
distinctive smoky taste, rather than a spicy aggressiveness that you'll
typically find in tequila. The pinas are then mashed and left to
ferment in a large wooden vat. Finally, the fermented juice is strained
off and this is distilled twice or even three times. At this point
Mezcal can either be bottled or aged for up to seven years.
Mezcal traditionally falls into three age groups, "blanco", "reposado"
(rested) or "Añejo" (old). Blancos are bottled immediately and
are a fabulous introduction to Mezcal based cocktails where the smoky
flavour may taste a bit odd. I recommend going for a long cocktail here
and accepting that it tastes a bit like a cigar. Reposados are aged for
a maximum of 11 months. This softens the heavy smoky flavour
profile of the blancos. Personal favourites are mezcal blazers, or
sipping it alongside a sangrita. Finally, Añejos are rested for
a minimum of 12 months and up to 7 years. This is where Mezcal flexes
its muscle showing complexity only found it aged spirits. A Mezcal
Martini is a show stopper in this area. Shaken hard and served with
jalapeño stuffed olives for a Mexican treat.
Previously mentioned, sangrita is a non-alcoholic drink that can be
sipped alongside Mezcal. Its spiciness compliments any peppery notes,
and the sweetness takes the edge off any overly alcoholic finish. This
is the way Mexicans drink mezcal, as opposed to with salt and lemon.
We've had more scraps about the recipe than you've had hot dinners, but
our recipe always contains orange juice, tomato juice, hot sauce,
grenadine, salt and pepper. Feel free to play around with the following
additions: Worcestershire or fish sauce, fresh peppers, ground nut oil,
soy sauce, lemon/lime juice, fresh herbs and spices or anything else
that takes your fancy.
Finally, a little note on the worm (or scorpion!) that you may find in
a Mezcal bottle. Those pro-worm argue that it proves the quality of the
spirit and is part of the modern culture of mezcal. However, many
producers of high quality Mezcal feel that the worm is a marketing
ploy, and not at all true to the otherwise traditional production
methods of mezcal. This is probably true, but you have to admit, it's
more exciting than salt and lemon...
Now for the cocktails!
First, with a nod and a wink to The Blood and Sand, we've got The Sangre
y Arena. This gorgeous little number is probably best served after
dinner. Get your smoking jacket on, retire to the parlour and knock out
some of these with a couple of H. Upmann Sir Winston cigars. Hmmmm...
Bliss.
35mls
La Penca Reposado Mezcal
35mls
Cherry Heering
35mls
Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth
35mls
freshly squeezed orange juice (best if it's straight from the orange)
Shake
hard and serve straight up, without garnish, in a martini glass or
coupette.
Secondly,
in time for summer, we've got The Verano Dulce. Physalis (Cape
Gooseberries) are great in season, and mezcal just loves strong citrus
flavours, like orange juice. Pull these out on a baking hot day and
watch your friends flock...
50mls
La Penca Reposado Mezcal
25mls
Cointreau
5
Physalis (chopped)
Muddle
the physalis in the bottom of the shaker and then add the Mezcal and
cointreau. Shake hard and then pour over rocks in a tall glass. Top
with soda or lemonade, depending on your tastes.
So give it a go, or, if it sounds like too much work, pop into The Hide
and we'll be happy to do all the hard stuff.
Nastassia
(photos
from the region of Oaxaca)
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