From Puntas to Pepsi Bottles: The Definitive Agave City Dictionary

It’s simple to really feel, after what’s been a very tequila-and-mezcal-soaked century to this point, like severe agave spirits got here out of nowhere. Someday they had been being guzzled by spring breaking frat bros and bored suburbanites on Taco Tuesday; the subsequent they’re the topic of some really high-end connoisseurship with virtually too many new developments to maintain up with. First mezcal was smoky, now it’s funky? One thing referred to as cristalino is taking up everybody’s Instagram feeds? Man Fieri has a tequila model now — and it’s kinda good?! It’s sufficient to make any self-respecting drinker attain for the salt and lime.

However wait! You don’t should go in on that Oaxaca timeshare simply to really feel such as you’re maintaining. We at VinePair have put collectively the definitive fashionable City Dictionary of all issues agave. From aguamiel to mayahuel to the low-grade crimes dedicated to get these items into the U.S. within the first place, we’ve assembled all of the jargon in a single handy spot. So the subsequent time that one severe collector pal presents you a copita of pechuga that they suitcased again and swear is Pepsi bottle-worthy you gained’t should nod politely whereas secretly questioning in the event that they’re having a stroke. As a substitute, you’ll have the ability to confidently elevate your cup, look them within the eye and say “¡Salud!”

1/4/24

A dice-based sport performed for cash popularized by the mezcal model Ilegal. It’s usually performed on the model’s bars and pop-ups all through North America and presents definitive proof that if consuming has a soulmate, it’s playing.

5L

The authorized quantity of spirits a single passenger is technically allowed of their checked baggage, per the Federal Aviation Administration. That is a type of legal guidelines that’s usually flaunted by vacationers coming back from Mexico with luggage stuffed with uncommon bottles. Nonetheless, flyers have been made to jettison uncommon finds in airports sometimes, which has prompted many a Reddit rant about how spottily this rule is enforced. Moreover, each bottle introduced in over one liter is topic to responsibility charges, one other regulation that’s usually casually ignored.

Components

Tiny elements in tequila that in recent times have triggered an enormous uproar. The Consejo Regulador del Tequila or Tequila Regulatory Council permits as much as 1 p.c of a single bottle of tequila to comprise 4 totally different components — glycerin, oak extract, caramel coloring, and pure sugars — whereas nonetheless calling itself one hundred pc tequila on the label. The top result’s usually a sweeter, extra vanilla-forward product coupled with monumental outcry from fans. The campaign towards manufacturers utilizing components (with a selected subset of tequilas coming in for additional scrutiny and derision, see: “Superstar Tequila”) lately reached a brand new excessive. In March, the founders of Tequila Matchmaker, which markets itself as a shopper watchdog group monitoring which manufacturers do and don’t use components of their liquor, noticed their house raided by authorities in Jalisco, proving that, if nothing else, this problem isn’t going away anytime quickly.

Aguamiel

A wealthy, earthy, flippantly fruity syrup made by cooking down pure agave sap. Making aguamiel is step one in making pulque, a fermented agave beverage that’s been round for hundreds of years. That stated, even with out yeast and alcohol getting into the image, aguamiel is fairly tasty by itself and is usually hailed as miles forward of the ultra-processed agave sugar out there in grocery shops. (For extra on how out-of-love many bartenders have fallen with these commercially out there syrups see: “Nogave.”)

Bacanora

A distilled agave spirit that hails from the Mexican state of Sonora. Like tequila, mezcal, and quite a few different agave drinks, Bacanora has a denomination of origin (D.O.). On this case, the D.O. specifies that it might solely be comprised of Agave angustifolia, which is often generally known as Pacifica or Yaquiana. Curiously, this species can also be widespread to the extra southern state of Oaxaca the place it goes by the extra well known moniker “Espadín.” However the sizzling dry local weather of Sonora yields a spirit that’s usually described as extraordinarily earthy and vegetal, making Bacanora distinct on the planet of agave.

Blue Weber

The one species of agave that’s allowed within the manufacturing of tequila, per the denomination of origin. This, coupled with the explosion of curiosity in tequila over the past 30 years, has led to a worrisome lack of biodiversity within the Blue Weber plant (see: “Monoculture”).

Superstar Tequila

A tequila model owned by a well-known particular person and/or shorthand for the pattern as a complete, which has reached virtually comedian proportions in recent times. Celebrities as numerous as George Clooney, Kendall Jenner, Sammy Hagar, and The Rock have all gotten into the sport, with Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, a.ok.a. Walt and Jesse from “Breaking Unhealthy,” even getting into the mezcal market. These manufacturers differ in high quality (as all manufacturers do) however are often topic to additional scrutiny given the excessive profiles of the people concerned and the inherently unlevel taking part in subject between house owners and producers on the planet of Mexican spirits.

Copitas

A small conventional cup used to drink agave spirits. Often a quite simple vessel comprised of the dried shell of the jicara fruit that holds one to 2 ounces of liquid. Extra ornate copitas do exist; it’s not unusual in Mexico to see elaborately painted or adorned copitas on the market, or to see copitas comprised of clay and even steel both offered or given away as presents by producers and types.

Corazon

The a part of the run off a nonetheless often thought-about finest for bottling. Very similar to whiskey and different spirits, the liquor from agave distillation is available in three totally different phases: the puntas (heads or factors), the corazon (hearts), and the colas (tails). Whereas the corazon is often essentially the most flavorful — and the most secure to drink — sure uncommon bottlings have been recognized to be comprised of totally different cuts (see: “Puntas”).

Curado

A mode of tequila that’s infused post-distillation by resting the spirit on cooked agave hearts, yielding a barely sweeter finish product that highlights the pure flavors of the plant. Whereas it may appear gimmicky at first blush there may be historic precedent for ending agave spirits on this method that dates again to the 1800s. First commercially pioneered by the households behind Tequila Ocho in 2023, it was usually hailed as a welcome innovation, at the very least amongst hardcore agave followers.

Cristalino

A mode of tequila that’s aged but clear in colour. Whereas it was first launched by Maestro Dobel in 2008, cristalino has loved a surge in reputation and curiosity over the previous couple of years. The readability is often achieved by submitting an aged tequila (which may have a brown hue on account of contact with oak) to a charcoal filtration course of that retains the oak taste however strips out the colour. The result’s a easy but mild and sometimes fruity beverage that’s usually marketed as an ultra-premium product, prompting some criticism that the class is motivated extra by advertising and marketing than taste.

Espadín

The commonest kind of agave utilized in mezcal manufacturing. Whereas mezcal can technically be comprised of any agave species (of which there are over 200), Espadín accounts for 80–90 p.c of all mezcal because of its fast maturation and flexibility, which makes it comparatively simple to farm.

Flowering/In Flower

A time period which means an agave plant has begun to breed sexually. When this occurs the agave grows an infinite stalk referred to as a quiote that may attain as much as 40 toes within the air and places out flowers to draw pollinators. This course of requires an infinite quantity of vitality by the plant and makes use of up all of the sugars that would in any other case be utilized by producers to make spirits. In different phrases, an agave can both be allowed to breed by flowering or made into booze, however not each.

Funk

A extra de rigueur time period to explain the attribute taste of mezcal, changing an earlier one which has since fallen far out of favor (see: “Smoke”).

Gold

A considerably spurious class of tequila. Historically, tequila is available in three age statements: blanco (aged lower than 2 months) reposado (aged 2 months to a 12 months) and añejo (aged 1–3 years). Whereas these classes have been in flux in recent times, gold shouldn’t be and by no means has been certainly one of them. Thus “gold” is a fancy-sounding phrase usually utilized to tequilas of low high quality (see: “Mixto”).

Gringx

A time period popularized by podcaster Lou Financial institution to explain white American agave followers, whereas riffing on an oft-derided time period that has been panned as virtue-signaling.

Gusano

Often referring to the larvae of the agave redworm moth, gusano can both imply the caterpillar itself or a salt comprised of the dried, crushed invertebrate and different spices that’s a preferred aspect dish for mezcal. Whereas it does imply “worm” in English, “gusano” is usually dropped in articles and discussions about mezcal as an indication that the speaker is aware of what they’re speaking about. This isn’t to be confused with the English phrase “worm,” which could imply the identical factor however has exactly the alternative connotation (see: “Worm”).

Horno

Actually “oven” in Spanish, horno usually refers back to the deep pits dug into the earth the place agave hearts are roasted to make mezcal.

Mayahuel

The Aztec goddess of pulque, a fermented agave beverage. Like many gods of alcohol, her purview spanned not solely the beverage itself however the ensuing debauchery that goes together with it. In Aztec mythology her physique produced pulque, which she used to nurse her 400 drunken rabbit youngsters. Being a colourful character, she’s been featured on quite a few spirits labels, in addition to inspiring the title of a pioneering and sadly defunct mezcal bar in New York’s East Village (RIP). If you happen to ever see a lady on a mezcal bottle with an illogical variety of breasts, odds are it’s her.

Mezcaleria

A bar specializing in mezcal. The time period encompasses the high-end retailers buying and selling in uncommon connoisseur merchandise like Mezcaloteca and In Situ in Oaxaca Metropolis, and the divey bars down the road from these that however handle to have a reasonably wide selection.

Mixto

A class of tequila consisting of at the very least 51 p.c agave distillate. Mixtos are virtually at all times of poor high quality, contemplating the opposite 49 p.c is often low-grade cane spirits which have been described as a “hangover in a bottle.”

Monoculture

A scarcity of genetic range attributable to fashionable farming practices and a serious downside going through tequila producers. Agave vegetation are in a position to reproduce in two methods: sexually, by flowering, and asexually, by producing offshoots referred to as hijuelos and bulbils, that are genetic clones of the mom plant. As a result of flowering makes use of up all of the sugar wanted to make spirits, this course of is usually discouraged by farmers preferring to gather and plant the clones as an alternative. Over time this could result in complete farms of agave vegetation with the very same DNA, making whole crops and species inclined to potential sickness and blights.

Nogave

An agave syrup taste-alike that avoids utilizing commercially out there merchandise. A rising variety of bartenders corresponding to Max Reis of Mírate in Los Angeles, and LP O’Brien, winner of Season 1 of Netflix’s “Drinkmasters,” are making nogave syrups from elements corresponding to orange blossom honey and pineapple nectar. The motion is a response to the extremely processed agave syrups out there on the retail market, that are extensively panned as being devoid of taste and character. Whereas there’s a fledgling motion to deliver precise (some would possibly say “higher”) agave syrup from Mexico, at present pickings stay slim.

Palenque

A standard mezcal distillery, often on a big plot of land, the place agave are roasted, crushed, fermented, and at last distilled. They usually embody a component of farming as properly, the place agave are cultivated for future spirits manufacturing.

Pechuga

A standard kind of agave spirit made by hanging a specialty ingredient inside a nonetheless for the vapors to move by earlier than they’re condensed. An eye catching model of this entails a uncooked rooster breast (pechuga, in Spanish) however this model of spirit will be made with all types of various fruits, spices, meats, and even espresso. Historically the purview of mezcal, lately sure tequila producers have begun experimenting with this system.

Piña

The guts of an agave plant beneath all of the spiky leaves that comprises the sugars required for fermentation. As soon as the piñas are cooked they’re shredded, crushed, or in any other case squeezed to launch the juice that may later ferment right into a distillable liquid.

Plata

One other title for blanco tequila. Plenty of manufacturers have lately switched to utilizing the phrase, ostensibly to commerce on the sturdy model of the English cognate “platinum,” though plata actually means “silver” in Spanish.

Pulque

A fermented agave beverage made by harvesting after which fermenting sap from an agave fairly than harvesting, roasting, and crushing it. In contrast to distilled agave spirits that will or could not have been launched after European contact, pulque has been loved by individuals within the Americas for hundreds of years. Pulque can have a fragile, flippantly tacky nostril and a vibrant fruity taste when contemporary. Sadly it travels very poorly, which is why sightings in the USA are few and much between, and sometimes of doubtful high quality.

Pulqueria

A bar serving pulque. Typically probably the most dependable locations to get pleasure from this beverage whereas it’s contemporary.

Puntas

The primary a part of a run off the nonetheless, the puntas are sturdy and extremely flavorful. Whereas they usually comprise alcohols apart from ethanol that may be dangerous to people, expert distillers could make a really exact minimize that captures the flavour and efficiency of this a part of the run. Often that is saved for private consumption because it’s thought-about the cream of the crop however puntas bottlings are generally put in the marketplace and thought of very uncommon releases.

RELATED: Colas

The final a part of a run off the nonetheless, the colas are very low ABV and are generally saved and shared as a novelty.

Raicilla

Known as the “mezcal” of Jalisco, raicilla is an agave spirit made within the house state of Tequila from plant varietals apart from Blue Weber. Its taste is usually sharp and vegetal.

Saite

The fibrous materials left over after roasted agave is crushed. Additionally often a preferred title for rescue canines.

Single Batch

A bottle of agave spirit that’s the product of a single harvest, roast, and distillation fairly than being blended collectively for consistency. That is widespread observe in most agave distilleries because the overwhelming majority of palenques are sufficiently small to not concern themselves with producing a homogenous product. Nonetheless the phrase “single batch” has develop into a advertising and marketing buzzword throughout the agave spectrum in recent times.

RELATED: Single Oven

The identical as single batch however trades much more aggressively on the prefix “single” as an indication of rarity and high quality within the booze world.

Smoke

Beforehand the default tasting observe for mezcal, it has since develop into gauche in sure circles to explain mezcal as “smoky.” Use of this as a tasting observe will mark a taster as a rookie and a model as a poser amongst extra severe agave followers.

Sotol

A cousin of agave spirits, sotol is comprised of the Dasylirion wheeleri or desert spoon plant. Whereas genetically nearer to an evergreen than an agave plant, the 2 species develop in the identical areas and are harvested in comparable strategies to supply similar-tasting distillates. Sotol is usually described as tasting vegetal and earthy with intense slate and even metallic notes.

Suitcasing

The method of bringing again a big haul of agave or different spirits in a single’s suitcase. That is utilized by shoppers in addition to bartenders, who’ve been recognized to “suitcase” again a uncommon bottle or two, which might in any other case be unavailable by common channels.

Tahona

A big wheel used to crush roasted agave piñas and launch the juices required for fermentation. Lately, most tahonas are mechanized however some smaller palenques nonetheless pull them behind a donkey or mule within the conventional technique. Some bigger manufacturers additionally do that within the firm of vacationers.

Tapada

The method by which a horno is stuffed with agave piñas and crimson sizzling rocks heated by a fireplace, after which coated. As soon as the hearth reaches an applicable temperature the piñas are added to the pit and coated with palm leaves or different materials to entice the warmth and in consequence present the eventual mezcal with a few of its signature flavors. This course of can take wherever from three to 5 days earlier than the agave are completed cooking.

Tepache

A flippantly alcoholic fermented beverage comprised of pineapple skins and different spices. Whereas agave shouldn’t be concerned within the course of of creating tepache, it’s usually offered alongside agave merchandise corresponding to pulque.

Water Bottles

A preferred technique of storing and transporting mezcal from smaller palenques. Many agave spirit producers are so small they don’t formally bottle their distillates, usually utilizing water bottles to retailer, transport, and share their merchandise. Thus, coming back from a visit to Mexico with a suitcase stuffed with previous water bottles recognized by barely legible sharpie scrawls is a mark of great road cred amongst American collectors.

RELATED: Pepsi Bottles

An inside joke amongst a subset of collectors that the perfect spirits don’t are available in water bottles however are actually saved in previous Pepsi bottles. Briefly, if somebody says they introduced a “Pepsi bottle” again from Mexico, they’re flexing arduous.

Wild

Used to explain agave that develop within the mountains and deserts of Mexico fairly than these which can be farmed. Nevertheless, as agricultural practices have shifted in recent times the which means of “wild” has begun to shift as properly. As an rising quantity of agave utilized in mezcal manufacturing, particularly Espadín agave, are sourced from farms fairly than foraged within the wild, it’s no longer unusual to listen to the phrase “wild” used to explain any agave utilized in mezcal manufacturing, no matter the place it was grown. Domestication efforts are additionally underway for different beforehand wild agave breeds, blurring the strains even additional.

Worm (the)

An previous advertising and marketing gimmick for tequila and mezcal that concerned placing a worm or another creepy crawly on the backside of a bottle earlier than it was offered. In the present day it’s thought to be a mark of exceptionally low high quality, and such bottles are seen as appropriate solely as bait for gullible vacationers. If somebody asks if a bottle had a worm in it, they aren’t being good.