MEZCAL COATLICUE OAXACA SAN BALTAZAR CHICHICAPAM

MEZCAL COATLICUE OF SAN BALTAZAR CHICHICAPAM. The goal of this project is to preserve, educate and share the love for the land and traditions passed down from generation to generation. Mezcal is an ancestral tradition. It is made from the heart of the maguey plant, the piña. Mezcal is a unique and complex spirit that is the result of generations dedicated to keeping the tradition alive. Oaxaca is where the magic of Mezcal is created. The word mezcal has its roots in “Nahualt," an ancient language spoken by the indigenous people of southern Mexico. It means “cooked agave”. However, there are around 200 species of agave in the world, 150 of which originated in Mexico. In Oaxaca, mezcaleros use 25 to 35 different species of the plant, merging the unique botanical profiles of each with the terroir of the village to create highly distinctive and complex flavor profiles. The lone ingredient of mezcal —the agave plant— requires 7 to 20 years to mature, depending on the species. A few varieties, like Espadin, are cultivated, but others must be harvested from the rugged wild lands that embrace the tiny villages. A single batch of perhaps 1200 bottles of mezcal begins with a harvest of 10 tons of piña—all of which is cut and dug up by hand. The piña are cooked for several days in a large earthen pit lined with hot stones, then crushed—usually under the weight of a massive stone wheel drawn by a horse or burro. The crushed piña are transferred to large wooden fermentation vats where ambient yeast converts the sugar to alcohol. After several days, the mezcalero will determine by sight, sound and smell that the product is ready for distillation. It is then transferred to traditional copper or clay alembiques—or stills—and heated over carefully controlled wood fires. Artisan mezcal is a highly complex spirit crafted in small batches from 100% AGAVE; the work is hard, the process unhurried. It is a centuries old art form that is bringing the soul of the earth, the scent of the fire, the history of a people to the lips of strangers thousands of miles away. Steeped in wisdom and weighted with patience, the coveted recipes and methods have been handed down from father to son for centuries. To change them or cut corners would be disrespectful to all who came before. It is, therefore, both an honor and a great responsibility to assume the mantle of maestro mezcalero [master mezcal producer]; every bottle that is filled, every cup that is shared, is sacred—a connection between his hands and yours.