What Is Mezcal? Mezcal vs Tequila: What’s the Real Difference?

What is mezcal, and is it the same as mescal?

Mezcal is a Mexican spirit made from the cooked, fermented and distilled heart (piña) of agave plants. “Mescal” is a common alternative spelling, and many people use the two interchangeably, but “mezcal” is the spelling on legally certified labels.

The word is also sometimes used to mean any agave spirit, which is why you will hear that tequila is “a kind of mezcal”. In practice, mezcal is its own regulated category with its own regions, methods and flavour.

What is the difference between mezcal and tequila?

Tequila must be made from blue Weber agave, mostly in Jalisco. The agave is typically steamed in brick ovens or autoclaves, which produces a clean, bright, sweet cooked-agave flavour. Mezcal can be made from many agave species and is traditionally cooked in underground pits lined with hot stones and covered with earth, which gives its smoky character.

Mezcal is usually distilled in small batches in clay or copper stills, often at family-run palenques. The result is more varied and rustic than most tequila, with earthy, vegetal, fruity and smoky notes.

What agave is mezcal made from?

Over 30 agave species can be used. Espadín is the most common and is grown widely in Oaxaca. Wild agaves such as tobalá, tepeztate and madrecuixe are rarer, take many years to mature and cost more, and each gives a different flavour from floral and fruity to herbal and mineral.

Some mezcals are made from a single agave species, others from blends. The label often tells you which, and it is one of the best clues to what the spirit will taste like.

How do you read a mezcal label?

Look for the category: Mezcal, Mezcal Artesanal (traditional methods like pit roasting and stone milling) or Mezcal Ancestral (the most traditional, with clay pot distillation). Then look for the age: joven (unaged), reposado (2 months to a year in wood) or añejo (over a year).

The label should also state the agave species, the region and the maker. Brands that give more detail are usually proud of their process.

Does mezcal have a worm in the bottle?

Some do, but it is not required and it has no connection with quality. The worm (gusano) is a larva that lives on agave and was added to some bottles as a marketing gimmick in the 20th century. Serious producers do not use it.

If a bottle has a worm, treat it as a novelty rather than a mark of authenticity. Most high-quality mezcal does not include one.

Which mezcals should you try?

Start with a joven espadín for a clear introduction to smoke and agave. From our range, Guerrero Mezcal, Mezcal Elote and Scorpion Mezcal show different sides of the category.

Browse the full selection in our mezcal collection, and compare with tequila in our tequila aging guide.

Explore: Shop mezcal

How should you drink mezcal?

The traditional way is neat in a small clay cup (copita) or a glass, sipped slowly with slices of orange and sal de gusano (a salt seasoned with chilli and ground agave worm). It is also excellent in cocktails: a Mezcal Margarita, Oaxaca Old Fashioned or Paloma adds smoke and depth.

Because it is often higher in strength and strongly flavoured, mezcal rewards slow sipping. Buyers must be 18 or over.

What are the best mezcal cocktails?

A Mezcal Margarita swaps tequila for mezcal for a smoky twist. The Oaxaca Old Fashioned, created by bartender Phil Ward in 2007, combines reposado tequila, a little mezcal, agave syrup and bitters. A Mezcal Negroni uses equal parts mezcal, Campari and sweet vermouth. A Mezcal Paloma adds smoke to grapefruit and lime.

Use a lightly smoky joven espadín as your cocktail base, and keep the more complex mezcals for sipping. See other bottles in our mezcal collection.

Is mezcal sustainable?

Mezcal’s growth has raised sustainability concerns. Agave plants take 7 to 30 years to mature depending on the species, and over-harvesting of wild agave, deforestation for firewood and monoculture are real issues. Producers who replant, use sustainable firewood and cultivate a mix of species help protect the industry.

Choose brands that name their agave, region and producer, which signals traceability. Rarer wild agaves are best treated as occasional luxuries.

What food goes with mezcal?

Traditionally, mezcal is served with orange slices dusted with sal de gusano. In Oaxaca it is also paired with tlayudas, mole, grilled meats and chapulines (toasted grasshoppers). The smoke and acidity cut through rich, spicy food.

Try it with barbecued meats, smoked cheese, dark chocolate and tropical fruit. Smoky mezcal can also stand up to strong flavours that overwhelm more delicate spirits. Compare it with reposado tequila for a different style.

How do you choose your first bottle of mezcal?

Choose a joven (unaged) mezcal made from espadín, since it shows the agave and smoke most clearly. Look for a producer that names the maker, region and agave. Avoid very cheap bottles that do not give this information.

If you are nervous about smoke, start with a lightly smoky mezcal and mix it in a cocktail such as a Paloma. If you love peaty Scotch, you will probably enjoy a stronger, smokier bottle neat. Compare a mezcal and a blanco tequila side by side to learn what distinguishes them.

Mezcal is usually sold at 40 to 50 per cent ABV, so check the strength and count standard drinks. Buyers must be 18 or over.