Mezcal vs Tequila: Knowing the Key Differences and Similarities

Mezcal and tequila, two very prominent beverages hailing from the lively country of Mexico, are creating a lot of buzz right now. Mezcal, a distilled beverage made from various agave plants, has caught up to its younger cousin’s hype tequila, in recent years. While mezcal has a smoky, earthy flavor, tequila holds a more fruity, floral, and sweeter profile. Since 2022, sales of agave-based distilled beverages have surpassed 69 billion Mexican Pesos, which is approximately 3.72 billion USD! In this article, we will provide you with a complete guide, including brief information, differences, and multiple pairings for the two beverages, and have a showdown on: mezcal vs tequila! 

What is Tequila?

Tequila, is a distilled beverage made from specific agave plants that surround the city of Tequila, in the charming state of Jalisco. Primarily, agave tequilana, more commonly known as blue agave, is used to craft tequila. Tracing its history from the 16th century, the process of making tequila has been preserved by the locals while also incorporating modern techniques to boost production. Following are the steps that are involved in crafting tequila. 

Harvesting: Leaves of blue agave plants are separated from a bulb-like structure called piña which grows on top of the leaves. 

Baking: Piña bulbs are then cleaned properly, and are lined up in huge ovens to bake them. This concentrates the sugar by eliminating excess moisture and also provides the sweet taste that tequila has.

Tequilas generally carry a very smooth, fruity, and sweet taste. Depending on the aging process that the tequila goes through, results in more complex and toasty notes due to oak aging. Varying on the type, they often hold floral, spicy, herbaceous, and even earthy notes as well. 

What is Mezcal?

Mezcal is also a distilled alcoholic beverage, although, unlike tequila, mezcal is made from a variety of agave plants that are found across the country. Agave salmiana, usually found in Mexico’s Altiplano region was widely used for making mezcal previous until agave éspadin took over. Mezcal originates from the southern state of Mexico called Oaxaca. The production process for mezcal is very similar to tequila except for a few differences in the baking, and aging process.

Baking: Unlike tequila, piñas are baked at a temperature of around 140-185 F in an earthen pit fueled with local woods and volcanic rocks. The rocks usually cook it slowly and gently in the pits which lets the sugars in the piña to caramelize beautifully providing the mezcal with its distinctive smoky test.

The majority of mezcal’s flavors emerge from the caramelization of sugars in the baking process, hence why, it is very crucial to provide extra importance to the process and not burn the piñas. Mezcal carries a nice smoky, earthy profile with a hint of sweetness, which comes really handy in making some of the most handsome cocktails. 

Key Differences and Similarities between Mezcal and Tequila

While most sections of production seem quite similar during the production of both beverages, some key differences need to be highlighted to distinguish between the two. 

Agave:

While tequila uses blue agave (agave tequilana), mezcal uses a variety of agave plants. Traditionally it was made only with agave salmiana, however, over the years we have seen that it is being made with numerous types of agave. In the present Espadín agave is utilized significantly to produce mezcal in modern times. 

Production Region:

Tequila originated and is popularly produced in the city of Tequila in the state of Jalisco due to the abundance availability of blue agave. Oaxaca is home to mezcal which is majorly produced there alongside many states such as Puebla, Guerrero, and Guanajuato. 

Distillation and Baking:

Piñas for Tequila are baked in large clay ovens and the distillation process is mostly carried out in copper pots. Piñas for mezcal are baked in wood-fired earthen pits which are lined with volcanic rocks and charcoal that sustain the heat produced by the burning of wood. Mezcal’s distillation processes are carried out in clay pots contributing to its earthy flavor.

Taste and Flavor profiles:

Tequila usually holds a more fruity, smooth-tasting flavor with often a significant sweetness in the initial taste. Mezcal on the other hand often carries a very smoky, earthy flavor to it and holds a very complex flavor. 

Since the differences have been discussed, let’s highlight what similarities both of the iconic beverages hold them.

Both beverages are distilled and are made from agave plants with a very similar production process. They hold cultural and traditional significance from the states of Mexico, with tequila originating from Jalisco and mezcal being the heart of Oaxaca. A very significant similarity that both beverages share is that they are amazing to experience. They are a great pairing for many cocktails and very versatile towards many flavor profiles. While tequila can complement a variety of fruity, floral cocktails, mezcal holds a deep, smoky flavor that could be complemented by dark cocktails such as Old-fashioned and Negronis. Not only cocktails, mezcal can also be used in a variety of dishes in the culinary world. 

Tequila Offerings at Epicurean Traders

While we’re talking about tequila, we would not leave you stranded without recommending some amazing collections we hold at The Epicurean Trader. Discover an exquisite collection of tequilas where each bottle holds a story of craftsmanship and traditional practices being handed over by locals, on our website. Ranging from the smooth, refined blancos that are perfect to pair in a fruity cocktail to the complex añejos. 

Spanning from renowned brands to curated artisanal brands, we’ve got it all. Try indulging in the top-notch elegance provided by Tequila Reposado from Destileria La Fortaleza, perfect for sipping or elevating your cocktails to a whole new experience. Tequilas from Disteleria La Fortaleza are quite renowned and are one of the top-selling brands that we hold. We can assure you that whatever you are experiencing will be no less than perfection.

Mezcal offerings at Epicurean Traders

Explore the rich, distinctive smoky flavors of mezcal from renowned brands that are featured on our website. Each brand here represents the diverse and intricate taste of the spirit created with so many traditional aspects in mind. Our mezcal collection invites you to taste the rich culture of Mexico’s distilling heritage across generations. 

A perfect blend of flavors birthed by the infamous agave Espadín, we offer Nuestra Soledad - 'Lachigui Miahuatlan' Mezcal by the producers of El Jolgorio mezcals, originating in Oaxaca, Mexico. We also offer a creamy blend created by agave Espadín influenced with toasted corn to delight your taste buds with a rich mouth-feel, Mezcal Vago - 'Elote' Mezcal. With the sweetness and the smokiness provided by the charred corn, it is hard to not get addicted to such a perfect union. 

How to enjoy the beverages?

Stereotypically, the common sound around tequila is “Shots! Shots! Shots!”, but traditionally, that is not how tequila or mezcal was intended to be served. Typically, they were intended to be served inside the fruit of the Crescentia tree. The fruit was cut in half, hollowed, dried, and optionally decorated with hand paintings. The mouth of the fruit is wide and helps the consumer capture the scents of the beverage alongside tasting it. That is impersonated in recent times with a copita glass having a wide-mouthed, shallow, and narrow-based to capture the scents of the beverage.

Ideally, both beverages are meant to be served just below room temperature for optimum flavor and mouth feel. When kept at room temperature, tequila and mezcal preserve their aroma, and their flavors in the best form possible without any intrusion factors. 

While tasting tequila, one should expect sweet, smooth, and possibly fruity notes. There would be hints of toastiness from the oak aging that most tequila goes through. Tequila is great for sweet cocktails and would work great in cocktails such as a Margarita, Paloma, or Tequila Sunrise. You can make Paloma with The Paloma Kit featured on our website. Providing you also a great recipe for Tequila Sunrise to enjoy on your beach vacation.

Unlike tequila, mezcal has rather dark, smoky, savory, and earthy profiles. The smokiness from roasting the piñas is retained and works great for sipping slowly and savoring each sip. Mezcal can occasionally carry some fruity or floral notes with spice and can be used in cocktails such as an old-fashioned, Mezcal mule or a nice Mezcal Negroni. A great way to make an old-fashioned comes right from our website with The Oaxaca Old Fashioned Kit. There’s also a great recipe for a Mezcal Mule. 

Now here we conclude with our Aventura! Both beverages stand today holding the vibrant testimonies of Mexico. We shared glimpses of how the beverages are made, their cultural significance, their taste and flavor profiles, and how to savor them. Together the beverages encapsulate the rich,  vibrant spirit of Mexico which is bottled up and handed over to people to create their own stories and memories with them. If you want to explore the exquisite taste of a variety of brands, head over to The Epicurean Trader’s website and explore the wide range of tequilas and mezcals or various other delicacies and products that we are glad to offer. Hope to serve you soon!