In Oaxaca, one of the regions where Mezcal is produced, locals believe the drink to possess curative powers and have devised an encouraging proverb for it: “Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también” which means for everything bad, mezcal, and for everything good, too.

Mezcal, once the obscure cousin to tequila, has recently gained widespread popularity worldwide. Good mezcal is exclusively handcrafted by small-scale producers using centuries-old methods, and that truly becomes apparent in the taste, a distinctively smoky flavor which for many is an acquired taste. 

Mezcal is produced in nine different areas of Mexico and they are Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Michoacán, Puebla and Oaxaca, which is where upwards of 85 percent of all mezcal is made. The most common varieties of agave used for mezcal are tobalá, tobaziche, tepeztate, arroqueño and espadín, which is the most common agave and accounts for up to 90% of mezcal. 

Interesting fact: All tequilas are mezcals, but not all mezcals are tequilas, just like bourbons are to whiskey.