The secret lies in its chemical composition and the sugars it has, which prevent you from waking up the next day with a hangover.
A few years ago the popularity of mezcal has gone from being a disdainful drink for its supposed lack of refinement and class, to one that is taken with respect, by the connoisseurs and by those who want to enter the fashion of the distillate.
The drink, which is a distilled maguey and very similar to tequila has earned the reputation of a noble spirit because although you do not believe it, despite having high degrees of alcohol, it’s chemical composition prevents it from giving you raw. How did you hear it?
According to the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago, mezcal is the purest distilled alcohol there is and that is because its sugar is polysaccharide that is better for the body. Why? Very simple, having this chemical composition, the sugar begins to disintegrate just in contact with the mouth so that its process of absorption and elimination is much faster and immediate; while alcohol with monosaccharide sugars must be processed in the liver and then eliminated, causing what we know as raw or hangover.
Yola Jiménez, an expert in mezcal and proprietor of its homonymous brand of distillate, told Bon Appetit magazine that one of the characteristics that make mezcal much more bearable the next day is that it should be taken slowly and with respect.
“You give him little drinks, you feel to enjoy it, you live it. I think that for many people, mezcal can help change their relationship with alcohol because the experience is very different, “he said.
But not everything is magic. Accompanying mezcal with beer is common and that is exactly what makes you feel bad the next day. The most advisable thing is not to combine it with any other alcoholic beverage because its chemical benefit will disappear.
Finally, the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago makes a recommendation if you had drunk too many shots of mezcal last night: an infusion of pennyroyal . This plant will remove the raw, relieve your stomach and give you an almost immediate relief thanks to its mint flavor.
HOW TO DRINK MEZCAL THE MEXICAN WAY
Generally speaking, we Americans love our liquor mixed with something—juice, tonic, soda. Give us a strong spirit, and we’ll immediately cook up new ways to mask its taste. Maybe it’s a holdover from Prohibition, when covering up the foul flavors of bathtub hooch was a necessity. Or maybe it’s ingrained in the multicultural strains of our cultural DNA. But no matter how you cut it, we’re a nation of tall drink imbibers.
This can become abundantly clear after a tasting trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, the birthplace of everyone’s new favorite agave spirit, mezcal. To merit the name, mezcal must be at least 90 proof and is often distilled even stronger than that. The famously smoky spirit seems like a prime candidate for an alcohol-softening dash of juice or soda if ever there was one. And while mezcal is taking over cocktail lists in American bars, south of the border, you’ll find it served exactly one way: neat.
Mezcaloteca
That might sound a bit severe, especially during Oaxaca’s sweltering afternoons, but while tequila is produced from a single agave, mezcal can be distilled from upwards of 30 different plants, ranging from the tall, spiky madrecuixe to the short, squat tobalá. Because these plants vary in sugar content, the spirits they produce range widely in flavor, from the brightly mineral to the delicately floral and the deeply earthy. To cover up these subtleties with other ingredients, no matter how delicious or complementary, is to miss mezcal’s point.
So neat it is. But whatever you do, “don’t shoot it,” says Marco Ochoa, the owner of Mezcaloteca, one of Oaxaca City’s most revered mezcal bars. Instead, he recommends breathing in the aroma, just as you would with a glass of wine, before taking a small sip and swishing the liquid around in your mouth. This opens up your palate and allows your taste buds to adjust to the burn of the alcohol. With your next sip, you should be able to taste the brilliant spectrum of flavors washing over your tongue—fruit, spice, smoke, wood and earth. Welcome to the magic of mezcal.
In Mexico, it’s customary to be served a little botana, or snack, when you order mezcal: slices of oranges, jicama and carrot, often dusted with sal de gusano (a mix of rock salt, ground chiles and roasted ground worms). It’s a nice gesture and very tasty, but in the end, think of it as just another mixer. “If you want to truly experience mezcal’s beautiful flavors, then don’t mask them with a bunch of citrus and salt,” says Jesus “Chucho” Ortiz Cruz, the owner of Archivo Maguey, a hot new mezcal bar in Oaxaca City.
Source: Milenio, Liquor, Bon Appetit Magazine
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