Mezcal book digs deep into history, production controversy

Mezcal is a Mexican liquor both mysterious and misunderstood, and writer Emma Janzen wants to change that. “There’s a lot of misinformation and confusion around mezcal,” says Janzen, 32, the digital content editor for Imbibe magazine. So she wrote a book about it — nominated for a 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award in the beverage category.

“Mezcal: The History, Craft, & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit” (Voyageur Press, $25), Janzen’s first book, is journalistic in tone. She “approached it as a series of articles,” and the result is a clear, no-nonsense guide to her favorite spirit. We learn the history of mezcal, from its roots in indigenous Nahuatl culture to its current place as a fast-growing spirit category with around its production.

Janzen makes a strong case for mezcal as “a cultural treasure,” one that’s taking a significant role in both the past and future of the Mexican economy. “Mezcal that’s made at the artisanal and ancestral level is a laborintensive process, the (distilleries) are bare-bones and production is driven by the mezcaleros’ knowledge — often coming from generations of producers in their families before them,” she wrote in a follow-up email. “When I look at a bottle of mezcal, I think about the people who made it and the hard work that went into each ounce — the years of waiting for agaves to harvest, backbreaking work harvesting the plants … the ritual of cooking in an earthen pit for days and the instincts required to take the liquid through fermentation and distillation.”

Part of the reason mezcal can be so overwhelming as a spirit category is precisely why it is so exciting — the intricacy of its origins and the complex culture around it, the particular type of wild or cultivated agave it’s made from, the region where it’s grown and made, the maestro mezcalero who governs its production. Janzen guides us through the ins and outs by calling on experts firsthand, from producers and educators on the ground in Mexico to distributors and mixologists both there and here.

The multiple varieties of agave the spirit comes from can be vexing to the consumer reading bottle labels from a bar stool, and Janzen presents a well-delineated list, including suggested examples by brand, to clear the murk. Janzen is fond of madre cuishe, a mezcal made from a rare wild agave in the Karwinskii family known for its minerality and delicate floral/herbal notes. But her descriptions of each agave style allow readers to make their own choice. The extensive chapter on cocktails offers dozens of exciting recipes, ranging from dead simple to pro-mixologist level.

This cocktail from Daniel Reyes at Baltra in Mexico City showcases the espadin style of mezcal in an easy drink. Accented with celery bitters, which bring out the espadin’s savory, vegetal notes, the drink resembles a margarita, amped up.