A Brief History of Mezcal

Mezcal has been becoming more and more popular -- yet, most people still don't know the difference between Mezcal and Tequila and where does amazing Mexican Spirit comes from. Luckily, we decided to make a video about it. If you don't know, now you know.
Music Credit: / starslingeruk
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Flaviar is a band of spirits enthusiasts, inspired by culture, rich history and the art of distillation. We forage the World of Spirits for the finest, rarest and most unique expressions out there and pack it all into a 21st century Members Club. You are what you drink, diversity and quality matter and all that should most certainly be enjoyed with style and in good company.

[@ElviaCUrquiza]

They lost me at Frida ! Why do they have to tie her to everything ?! As a Mexican woman I don’t agree that frida is on everything Mexican related ! 🙄

[@MezcalBuzz]

Because Eyebrows

[@najera7]

Tequila and Mezcal are produced differently. Mezcal is made by burning agave in a hole giving it its characteristic smokey flavor. Tequila is made only from agave Azul and can also be burnt but not in a hole, it can also be steamed. Besides these two you have a lot of different agaves like Raicilla, Bacanora, Sotol, and a few others. The difference between these is mainly the region in which they are made, some of them share the same agave variety and some don't.

[@Flaviar]

Oh wow, you seem to be quite knowledgeable about this! What would you say your personal preference is, Tequila or Mezcal? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Cheers 🥃

[@dank1292]

I learned quite a bit from this video. Thanks

[@lannon4prez]

Thank you Oaxaca.

[@meatballfreak6567]

I hate how she says Mezcal.

[@meatballfreak6567]

@Andrew Jackson aight bow.

[@meatballfreak6567]

@Andrew Jackson shiid I really don't know what to tell you bow. I just know it's really popular in Banda music and shit.

[@stanleypaz6696]

Yo. But why she sound like that in general. Slightly annoying riiiiiiiiiiiiiight? Lmao

[@meatballfreak6567]

@@stanleypaz6696 ong 🤣

[@dannyrijnvis7754]

A lot of the information given is inaccurate. I would expect 100% facts from such a big thing in the industry (flaviar)

[@ericktellez7632]

Yes, Mezcal is prehispanic, it already existed before the spanish brought distillation

[@MezcalBuzz]

@@ericktellez7632 Are you sure? I'm pretty sure it did not.

[@ericktellez7632]

@@MezcalBuzz yeah it wasnt, it came after pulque was distilled during new spain

[@javytc]

I'm pretty sure the gusano "worm" was just to make sure the alcohol was strong enough. If it died it was good.

[@ericktellez7632]

Worms arent fish, anything thrown on liquid will fricking die

[@maxhowe413]

pretty tenuous link to Frida if we are being honest guys

[@RodneyHenderson357]

It makes sense. I friend from college who's dad was an international pilot with Eastern gave him a bottle we drank at the dorm. Bottle had the worm etc.....man next two days were hell. Didn't start drinking tequila/mezcal some 30 yrs later.

[@fernandomartinezhernandez6647]

The distillation of mezcal dates from prehispanic times (7000 years ago). Before speaking, you must inform yourself

[@MezcalBuzz]

wow 7,000 years ago. That's false sir. Spirit distillation dates back to 500 years in Mexico with the arrival of the Spanish. If you're referring to the archeological findings in Tlaxcala that indicate pre-hispanic distillation, it's still debatable especially in terms of spitir distillates. But it is a a fun topic.

[@useyourname210]

The Filipinos from the Manila Galleon brought the Filipino-style stills used for coconut wine and eventually mezcal, Spaniards used Arabic-style stills.

[@rye2dawg]

Forgot about the part the the Filipinos made the first batch of mezcal, since they knew how to distill coconuts. The natives only knew how to ferment. Y’all need to get your history right

[@Flaviar]

Interesting! We didn't know about this, could you tell us a bit more and what they called this distillate?

[@useyourname210]

@@Flaviar The Filipinos from the Manila Galleon brought the Filipino-style stills used for coconut wine and eventually mezcal, Spaniards used Arabic-style stills.

[@Gen-yh1jz]

WTH! She says, “a marketing ploy from 1940s”, While showing a clip from Madmen set in the 1960s. Styles were different. Darker colors and everyone wore hats. Do better.

[@suzanbenjamin2334]

Rum was called aguardiente right not mezcal...??

[@ivannamartinez259]

Jalisco is a state.... not a city. Please get these facts right when you're talking about a foreign, sacred product like Mezcal. Gracias.

[@MezcalBuzz]

I'm pretty sure thes said "The State of Jalisco"

[@Periskop1]

Question.Why do they often distill artisanal/ancestral mezcal in "Filipino" stills?

[@miguelitoantonio1950]

I read about that on a website dedicated to filipino wine making. They claimed it was filipino immigrates to New Spain that brought distillery technology to Mexico.

[@ericktellez7632]

@@miguelitoantonio1950 They are wrong though, Mezcal is prehispanic, for at least 200 years before the arrival of the Spaniards. They would crush the leafs using rocks and then burn it. Mezcal is unique in the sense that it doesnt use wheat like most liquors, it uses plants.

[@ericktellez7632]

@@Periskop1 Limes were introduced by the Spanish but foreigners are wrong regarding the traditional way of drinking mezcal and tequila, there are no limes nor salt involved, you sip it slowly like you would do with Whiskey.

[@useyourname210]

@@ericktellez7632 the distillation process is of Filipino origin though, which didnt exist in Pre-Hispanic Mexico, but exist in the Prehispanic Philippines and was used in making lambanog (distilled coconut liquour)

[@pete8314]

in Mexican Mezcal Distilling How 500 years and a 12,000 mile-trade route shaped modern mezcal. By Caroline Hatchett Published 04/27/23 Man pouring mezcal next to a Filipino-style still Pedro Jimenez Earlier this year, Tito Pin-Perez placed seven bottles of Mexican spirits on a bar-a line-up that showcased the country’s distillate diversity, including raicilla, pox, sotol, bacanora, artisanal Oaxacan mezcal, tequila, and tuxca. He poured a small glass of the tuxca first, then slid it across the bar. “Tuxca,” he said, “is actually the grandfather of all of these spirits.” A New York bartender by trade, Pin-Perez moved to Mexico City during the pandemic and now oversees the bar programs at Fónico and Rayo, where his spirits selection and cocktail lists reflect his ongoing education and experience with Mexican distillates. Those include widely popular spirits like tequila and mezcal, but also an array of other agave-based distillates like bacanora, raicilla, and agave-adjacent sotol. But it’s tuxca that unlocked mezcal’s history for him. “It helped me understand how it all connects,” says Pin-Perez. Insecto Tuxca, the bottle he shared, lists some clues to that history on its label: Molienda a mano (milled by hand), fermentación en pozo de piedra volcánica (fermented in a volcanic stone pit), destilado de agave del sur de Jalisco (agave distillate from southern Jalisco), and destilador Filipino (Filipino still). It’s the last of these descriptors that offers a deeper insight into the history of Mexican distilling. It’s a story that connects nearly five centuries of distilling in Mexico with a Pacific trade route that traversed 8,500 miles of ocean, and the Filipino sailors who brought unique stills and production techniques to the Central American region. It’s a story that stands in contrast to colonialism-a testament to ancient practices, Indigenous ingenuity, and mutual resistance. Spout pouring mezcal distillate into clay container. Pedro Jimenez The Trans-Pacific Origins of Mexican Distilling Native Mexicans cultivated agave for centuries before Spaniards showed up on their shores in 1519. They cooked and fermented piñas for sustenance. They drank mildly alcoholic pulque, made from fermenting the plants’ sap. But they did not distill its nectar into mezcal (or at least there is no definitive proof of pre-Columbian distillation, but more on that later). There’s nearly conclusive evidence, though, that Spaniards themselves did not introduce distillation to Mexico. Rather, they tried to squelch it. In 1565, a little more than four decades after the Aztec Empire fell to Hernán Cortés and his troops, the Spanish conquered the Philippines. The same year, Spain established the 12,000-mile Manila Galleon trade route across the Pacific Ocean, connecting Manila and Acapulco. For 250 years, ships transported spices, silk, porcelain, and other cargo from Asia before returning from Mexico bearing New World silver. “[Upon arrival,] sometimes whole crews would abandon ship and desert and then mix into the local population. It’s a testament to the cruelty of Spanish colonialism.” -Rudy Guevarra Jr., Associate Professor Of Asian Pacific American Studies, Arizona State University. By the early 1600s, skilled Filipino sailors made up the majority of these galleon crews of 100 to 350-plus men. Some were slaves and others underpaid navigators, and all endured tremendous hardship onboard. Crews suffered from scurvy, starvation, and dehydration. Adequate clothing was not provided, and making it to Mexico alive was not a given. In 1620 alone, two galleon crews lost 99 and 105 men, respectively, their bodies tossed overboard. “[Upon arrival,] sometimes whole crews would abandon ship and desert and then mix into the local population,” says Rudy Guevarra Jr., an associate professor of Asian Pacific American Studies at Arizona State University. “It’s a testament to the cruelty of Spanish colonialism.” Scholars estimate that 75,000 Filipinos settled in western Mexico during the Galleon era. According to Guevarra’s research, they married into Mexican families and blended into a community of similarly dark-skinned, mixed-race people who had Spanish surnames and practiced Catholicism. In turn, a great cultural exchange took shape, one that’s visible still in places like Acapulco and Colima. Among other foodstuffs, Filipinos introduced tamarind, rice, mango de Manila, and coconuts to Mexico. Coconuts, brought over in 1569, would be the most consequential of them all. Jimador in the agave fields. Pedro Jimenez Mexico’s First Distillate Filipinos had a similar relationship with the coconut palm as Mexicans did with their native agave. Filipinos used the fronds for clothing, shelter, and tools. They ate coconut meat and milk, drank the water, and used various parts of the tree for medicinal purposes. Filipinos fermented palm sap into the low-alcohol beverage tuba, similar to Mexican pulque, which you can still buy on the streets of Colima. In the morning hours, freshly made tuba is sweet and often enjoyed plain; by the afternoon tuba has a more prominent fermented tang and gets topped with peanuts, syrup, and fruit. Filipinos also transformed tuba into vinegar. To make tatemado, essentially a spicy Mexican adobo, cooks in Colima braise pork, chiles, and aromatics in coconut vinegar. Filipino sailors also brought with them the technology to distill tuba into lambanog, known in Mexico as vino de coco. Newly arrived Filipinos established coconut palm farms, and vino de coco soon became the most important business in Colima. By 1631, the town produced 262,000 liters of the stuff, and as mining activity picked up in northern Mexico, vino de coco helped to fuel its workers’ labor. It’s from this colonial soup of circumstances that mezcal, as we know it today, is thought to have emerged. “All the identified evidence suggests that agave distillation originated through adaptation of the coconut distillation process in Colima,” write Zizumbo-Villarreal and Patricia Colunga-GarcíaMarín in a 2008 landmark study. Compared with the Arabic-style alembic stills used by Spaniards, the Filipino still is a rustic apparatus. There’s a hollow tree trunk-in Mexico, most often from the parota tree-that’s appended on either side with a copper bowl. Vino de coco distillers added tuba to the bottom bowl and heated it over a fire. The liquid turned to vapor, rose in the still, and hit the copper bowl on top, through which cold water circulated. The vapors condensed and fell in droplets onto a wooden gutter and through a spout into a clay vessel. Distillers repeated the process several times to achieve the ideal proof and composition. Zizumbo-Villarreal and Colunga-GarcíaMarín’s study, as well as that of Paulina Machuca in 2018’s El Vino de Cocos en la Nueva España, stack evidence that Filipinos shared this technology with their new Indigenous and mixed-race neighbors and families. If this distillation process worked for tuba, why fermented agave? Original Filipino-style still build into a perota tree trunk, and brick oven at Balancan distillery. Ismael Gomez Modern Mezcal Is Born Of the 38 tabernas, or distilleries, Zizumbo-Villareal and Colunga-GarcíaMarín documented in southern Jalisco, 24 had coconut palm groves nearby. The research team also found greater agave diversity in southern Jalisco than in Tequila to the north, describing the region near the Colima volcano as “the nucleus of agave genetic diversity.” For millennia, Indigenous Mexicans in the area had selected specific agave varieties suited to making pulque. They cooked agave in stone pits, smashed the piñas with mallets, and fermented pulque in wells carved into volcanic rock. Then this centuries-old beverage met the adaptable Filipino-style stills that had landed on nearby shores. The first known documented reference to agave distillation comes from a Spanish cleric in 1619, who speaks of “mexcale” as an Indigenous drink produced on the coast and in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of Nayarit. Mezcal distillation was traveling north and south through ancient and mining-related trade routes, and, along with vino de coco, becoming an economic threat to imported Spanish brandy. “The Spanish didn’t intend for the kind of interracial convergences that occurred between Indigenous and mixed-race Filipinos and Mexicans,” says Gueverra. “When this community started selling their own spirits and competing with the Spanish, it had this unforeseen impact on the culture.” Starting in 1603, colonial powers declared a series of prohibitions on vino de coco and mezcal, and by the 18th century, Colima’s vino de coco industry had effectively vanished. Agave distillation, on the other hand, went clandestine in the foothills of the Colima volcano and continued to spread, according to Zizumbo-Villarreal and Colunga-GarcíaMarín. Underground fermentation in volcanic wells was easily concealed, and the lightweight Filipino stills could be easily disassembled and moved. And agave-sacred, wild, and abundant-had far more cultural import in Mexico than the newly introduced coconut palms.

[@omar415sf]

Can You bring it back to the us. The one ? with the scorpio in it

[@legoobi-wankenobi3080]

Isn't tequila named after a city?

[@justicegutierrez6847]

Yes

[@justicegutierrez6847]

However; the town is supposedly named Tequila because of the mountain near it looked a lot like well..a Tetilla

[@deadfishparty]

You had me at TMNT. 🐢 💥

[@Flaviar]

Always keeping it light and fun. Glad you liked it! 🥃🐢

[@MezcalBuzz]

So thhis is sponsored by Madre?

[@jovanimoran146]

almost

[@jamesb.9155]

2:07 5:10 ! Ha ! really fun stuff! I had my first 'Aguardiente' at 16 in Medellin Colombia. OMG! I'd never drank anything at all and especially at nearly 4,900 feet elevation!

[@Flaviar]

Glad you like it! Wow, that sounds like quite an experience, we'll have to give it a try.

[@Maestro-gh2ei]

great video and editing. Host is cute and pretty charismatic, this channel is goin places.

[@Grainraiser]

I just found two unopened bottles of Mezcal in my late dads liquor cabinet. They were purchased in 1984.

[@triggerdmillennial9624]

what a find eat the worms and relive the 80's

[@MezcalBuzz]

Nice! What can you tell us about the bottles.

[@jamesb.9155]

if they are any good you can auction them on E-bay! ..or just action them anyway!

[@reneflores3711]

That twang has got to go!

[@shaydjohnson8700]

no offence, but madre mezcal is not a premium mezcal.

[@MezcalBuzz]

Non taken 😂

[@robzombie1845]

1.5 oz bozal mezcal 2 oz tripple sec 1 oz lime juce 1 oz blue agave nectar Add glass bottle coke to taste for me about 3/4 an 8 oz bottle A d you have a delicious drink i have taken ti calling a margalibra

[@Flaviar]

Sounds great! Need to try this! 😀

[@ludwig327]

Under the volcano

[@helldorado1489]

Voice too annoying.

[@shadimurwi7170]

Chicken eggs shell or chicken bones is a medicine for alcohol

[@Flaviar]

They are? Would you mind explaining, we'd love to find out.

[@YFNYC]

TMNT

[@Flaviar]

We're guessing you don't mean the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles here, right?

[@primefame5570]

What about the real shit ancestral mezcal had a liter and killed my uncle has a ancestral distillery

[@Flaviar]

Now this sounds like a story we need to hear more about.

[@51015panchovilla]

Funny voice

[@Flaviar]

And the story?

[@savagetheiiv5046]

Nombre de Dios DGO, has the wildest MEZCAL....some good SHTT...believe meh!!!!

[@Flaviar]

Will have to try it. The amount of Mezcals on the market is crazyy!

[@savagetheiiv5046]

@@Flaviar MEZCAL extremely satisfying regardless of it's state of origen, it's ARTESANAL!!! Lol Nombre de dios main source of income at this time is MEZCAL, it's a magical town that I would recommend to visit with friends n Fam....

[@soulja304]

Somebody with ADHD wrote this script.

[@Flaviar]

Well, it could be that our copywriters were sipping on some Mezcal to get into the "spirit" when writing the script. Can you blame them?

[@idjr2654]

In Mexico, mezcal is the crap you drink when you cant afford tequila. Crazy how hyped it is in the states and the premium it commands.

[@osvaldo128]

Lo dire en español porque probable dices eso porque eres mexicano y estas más que equivocado. El tequila al igual que el mezcal,el bacanora,la rancilla,la charanda, el sotol, el pulque...etc hab sido bebidas para pobre. Con el tiempo han tenido su reconocimiento y de allí su valor, de hecho antes toda bebida destilanda era llamada mezcal por lo tanto el tequila era "mezcal de tequila" y la bebida no fue popular hasta la llegada de Porfirio Díaz que dio un valor y dar a conocer la bebida no porque fuese mejor que el mezcal si no por amor a su esposa que era de los altos Jalisco (Jalisco estado que dio a conocer el tequila). Así antes de comentar pendejadas informese.

[@alexmares3148]

The shit they would break out from the 5 gallon jug haha

[@ramencurry6672]

There’s bad mezcal but the good stuff is actually better than a lot of tequilas

[@user-li1mj1jx2j]

I was told by Mexican friends that Mezcal is only drunk by bums while everyone that can afford it will reach for tequila.

[@ohnas42]

Then keep drinking Tequila and leave mezcal for us bums. You probably wouldn't like it anyway.

[@oscaralejandrolarafernande723]

mezcal is way more expensive than tequila

[@Eric-jo4tp]

Mezcal has a much greater variety of agave, hence a much wider array of flavors than tequila.

[@yaboyhemingway7318]

Your friends are not wrong, good quality mezcal does exist, though.

[@rickchavez5989]

They lied to you