Food24
  • Recipes
    • New recipes
    • Videos
    • Budget recipes
    • South African recipes
    • Air fryer recipes
    • Easy weekday meals
    • Cooking with lamb
    • Pork recipes
    • Fish and Tips
    • Braai recipes
    • Chicken recipes
    • Vegetarian recipes
    • Baking
    • Low carb recipes
    • Gluten-free recipes
    • Dairy-free recipes
    • Pasta recipes
    • Cocktails
    • Non-alcoholic drinks
  • Features
    • Food news
    • Recipe round-ups
    • Food24 Taste Tests
    • Kitchen Design and Appliances
    • Drinks
      • Wine
      • Beer
      • Coffee
    • Conscious Cooking
    • In Season
      • Spring
  • Cooking guides
    • Pantry staples
    • Load shedding lifesavers
    • Baking tips and tricks
  • World Cup Weekend Guide
  • More
    • Win
    • Newsletters
No Result
View All Result
Food24
  • Recipes
    • New recipes
    • Videos
    • Budget recipes
    • South African recipes
    • Air fryer recipes
    • Easy weekday meals
    • Cooking with lamb
    • Pork recipes
    • Fish and Tips
    • Braai recipes
    • Chicken recipes
    • Vegetarian recipes
    • Baking
    • Low carb recipes
    • Gluten-free recipes
    • Dairy-free recipes
    • Pasta recipes
    • Cocktails
    • Non-alcoholic drinks
  • Features
    • Food news
    • Recipe round-ups
    • Food24 Taste Tests
    • Kitchen Design and Appliances
    • Drinks
      • Wine
      • Beer
      • Coffee
    • Conscious Cooking
    • In Season
      • Spring
  • Cooking guides
    • Pantry staples
    • Load shedding lifesavers
    • Baking tips and tricks
  • World Cup Weekend Guide
  • More
    • Win
    • Newsletters
No Result
View All Result
Food24
No Result
View All Result

Mezcal, tequila and agave spirit: what’s the diffs?

Food24
Leah van Deventer by Leah van Deventer
October 15, 2018
in Food News
0
Mezcal, tequila and agave spirit: what’s the diffs?
0
SHARES
910
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

(image: iStock)

ALSO READ: Bartending is fast becoming a recognised career path – here’s where you can train

Did you know South Africa produces the most agave outside of Mexico? Yes, that’s the stuff tequila is made from. So why don’t we make tequila here? Well, we do – pretty much – it just goes by another name.

We chatted to Guillermo Sauza of Fortaleza Tequila and Adi Badenhorst of 4th Rabbit Agave Spirit to find out more.

The backstory
As with most spirit origin stories, the history of tequila/mezcal is more mythological than factual in places, but legend has it that some sort of spirit has been distilled from the succulent agave plant for 500-odd years. And agave has been harvested for at least 800 years. 

View this post on Instagram

Oh nothing, just chilling on some agave. What are you guys doing? ?? #agave #mezcal #agavespirit #southafrica #followthewingedrabbit #4thrabbit #instadrinks #drinkstagram

A post shared by Leah van Deventer (@leahvandeventer) on Oct 12, 2018 at 8:14am PDT

Guillermo Sauza, whose family has been producing tequila for five generations, says, ‘The Indians used to harvest aguamiel, honey water, from a large species of agave that weeps almost a quart [of sap] a day.’ This aguamiel was later fermented to make pulque, a milky, beer-like alcoholic drink. 

Both aguamiel and pulque were initially sacred drinks, consumed ritualistically by Mesoamerican priests and sacrificial victims. But after the Spanish conquest of Mexico around 1521, pulque slowly lost its sacrosanct status, and the populate began imbibing it with glee. 

Around the same time, someone decided to distil agave, to get a stronger kick out the stuff. And here’s where things get murky, because the (vibe-killing) conquistadors had made the production of spirits verboten. ‘It was actually illegal to make spirits [in Mexico] until the late 1700s … so there’s not a lot of information about what was made before,’ says Sauza.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Corey Arnold (@arni_coraldo) on May 29, 2018 at 11:33pm PDT

Once the ban was lifted, agave distillers crept out of the shadows, and the fun began.

Mezcal and tequila production
Agave-plant distillation in Mexico falls into two categories: mezcal and tequila. While there are other differences, the most significant is in the way the agave is cooked, as it allows for quite different flavour profiles.

‘The Indians were using the agave as a food source, but they had to cook it, so they cooked it in ground pits where they would build a fire, throw the rocks in so the rocks would keep the heat … Their cooking would take four, five, six days – covered with some type of banana or palm leaves on the top,’ explains Sauza. 

View this post on Instagram

Roasted agave – delicious! Thanks for the experience, @fortalezainsa. ?? #drinkfortalezainSA #fortalezaTequila #VivaFortaleza #tequila #instadrinks #agave #roastedagave

A post shared by Leah van Deventer (@leahvandeventer) on Sep 6, 2018 at 11:28pm PDT

This formed the basis for making mezcal, where the smoky, caramelised agave went on to be distilled – a method that’s still used today.

Tequila, on the other hand, is made with agave that’s been steam roasted in a brick oven using a boiler – technology that arrived via the Spaniards around the 1700s. While oven cooking is significantly quicker, it still takes upwards of 30 hours.

‘They keep inventing newer ways to go a little bit faster because time is money. So they invented the autoclave, which cooks faster because you can cook under high pressure, in under eight hours … and now there’s a new machine called a diffuser, which is like a giant carwash. They put the agave in raw, with these super high-pressure jets to clean all the pulp off the fibre. Then they’ll cook it in liquid form. So they can clean and cook in like six hours,’ says Sauza.

And as for flavour? Well, mezcal punches you in the face with its rich, savoury and smoky taste, while traditional oven-cooked tequila has more of a sophisticated subtly about it. Both, however, are designed to be sipped and savoured, never shot. Tequila made using modern methods is another story entirely; suffice to say anything cooked in a carwash can’t be any good… 

‘Not everybody cares,’ laughs Sauza, ‘But we thought, well, we have such a small distillery anyway we have no business competing in the [cheaper] range. We decided to rather go after the high-end market, using traditional methods for a better quality product.’

And what about agave spirit?
Well, the term ‘agave spirit’ (or ‘agava’) is a workaround. Both mezcal and tequila have laws dictating not only their production methods and agave specifics, but their distillation location too. Agave spirit can be made anywhere, and – as long as agave is the source – the production methods are up to the distiller.

Now agave – specifically the blue agave that tequila’s made from – has been growing in the Karoo for more than a century, being introduced into the country in some mysterious manner. When Mexico suffered a – gasp! – agave shortage in the mid 90s, a few ambitious businessmen formed Reinet Distillers in Graaff-Reinet. 

Their intention was to produce a local version of the stuff, but they couldn’t get the production right and ended up closing shop without making a single drop. They did, however, get an agave plantation going.

Since then there have been a few attempts to make a good local agave spirit, the latest being by winemaker Adi Badenhorst – most famous for his Caperitif – who did it on a dare. His production intel for his chosen mezcal method? Good old YouTube videos.

View this post on Instagram

When you’re posing for a sneaky pic in the @caperitif maturation cellar and realise you’re being photobombed by the guy who makes the stuff ?? #adibadenhorst #capertif #cellar #drinks #drinkstagram #instadrinks #maturationcellar #aperitif #localislekker

A post shared by Leah van Deventer (@leahvandeventer) on Sep 21, 2018 at 6:29am PDT

‘The v*kop with that is that the data always runs out. So we watch half the thing, and we see they make a gat in the ground. So we made a gat in the ground behind here, but it wasn’t deep enough, it wasn’t angled right,’ he says.

‘They reckon from a tonne of agave you should be getting between 40 and 60 litres. The first couple of tonnes we did we got six litres of spirit,’ laughs Badenhorst. ‘So I bought some more data, watched that video again, and I checked no they added a bit of water there to get the fermentation going.’

It’s undoubtedly been a lot of trial and error, but Badenhorst’s 4th Rabbit Agave Spirit rivals any mezcal out of Mexico. While completely self-deprecating, the man clearly has a gift. His final product is a velvety smooth, floral-honey delight with a lingering soft, smoky finish. 

‘It’s a mission. If anybody says to me one day, “Listen, that’ll be R300 for that shot of mezcal” I’ll put R500 down and say “f*cken keep the change”. I know what goes into it. I mean distilling, making brandy, is so easy compared to this. You have to dig deep into your soul to go pick these things, bring them back out, fill up the truck…’

The moral of the story? You get what you pay for. Fortaleza Tequila ranges from R750 to R1300 per 750ml bottle, while 4th Rabbit goes for R495 for 500ml.

View this post on Instagram

Chopping agave for @the4thrabbit agave spirit, African style ?? #followthewingedrabbit #agave #4thrabbit #instadrinks #drinks #drinkstagram #mescal #swartland

A post shared by Leah van Deventer (@leahvandeventer) on Sep 20, 2018 at 12:44pm PDT

For more boozy news catch Leah on Twitter or Instagram. 

ALSO READ: Fancy a tasty tequila cocktail recipe from SA’s best bartender?

Tags: CocktailsDrinksSpiritstequila


Related Posts

peppermint-crisp-pudding-homemade-vs-store-bought
Food24 taste tests

Peppermint Crisp pudding: Homemade vs store-bought

September 22, 2023
braai-marinade
Recipe Round-Ups

10 braai recipes to celebrate South Africa

September 21, 2023
Peppermint-crisp-cheesecake
Features

We asked, you answered: What is SA’s favourite dessert?

September 20, 2023
Next Post
WATCH: Do lab-grown chicken nuggets actually taste like chicken?

WATCH: Do lab-grown chicken nuggets actually taste like chicken?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Food24 Team Loves

Peppermint-crisp-cheesecake

We asked, you answered: What is SA’s favourite dessert?

September 20, 2023
best-south-african-chutney-brands

Fruit chutney showdown: 8 store-bought picks put to the test

September 8, 2023
fondue charcuterie

5 ideas for the perfect winter-friendly charcuterie board

August 14, 2023
roasted-potato-and-tomato-soup

Food24 shares our memories from the ‘soup-er women’ in our lives

August 9, 2023
rusks

10 new products we just can’t get enough of

August 8, 2023

Recent favourites

  • best-store-bought-garlic-baguette

    Food24’s top garlic butter baguette revealed

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 10 braai recipes to celebrate South Africa

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Seasoning smarts: Kosher salt vs other salt varieties

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Peppermint Crisp pudding: Homemade vs store-bought

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • We asked, you answered: What is SA’s favourite dessert?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get weekly access to our best recipes, tips and tricks

Sign Up
Footer

Quick links

  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Win

Collections

  • New Recipes
  • Festive
  • Baking
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Braai Recipes
  • Lunchbox
  • South African Recipes
  • Pasta Recipes

Other links

  • Advertise with Food24
  • Editorial Policy
  • How to Pitch
  • Contact us

Not in the mood to cook?

Visit eatout.co.za to find the perfect restaurant near you.

eatout.co.za

© 2020 Food24.com. All rights reserved.

  • About us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • New Media
IAB
No Result
View All Result
  • Recipes
    • New recipes
    • Videos
    • Budget recipes
    • South African recipes
    • Air fryer recipes
    • Easy weekday meals
    • Cooking with lamb
    • Pork recipes
    • Fish and Tips
    • Braai recipes
    • Chicken recipes
    • Vegetarian recipes
    • Baking
    • Low carb recipes
    • Gluten-free recipes
    • Dairy-free recipes
    • Pasta recipes
    • Cocktails
    • Non-alcoholic drinks
  • Features
    • Food news
    • Recipe round-ups
    • Food24 Taste Tests
    • Kitchen Design and Appliances
    • Drinks
      • Wine
      • Beer
      • Coffee
    • Conscious Cooking
    • In Season
      • Spring
  • Cooking guides
    • Pantry staples
    • Load shedding lifesavers
    • Baking tips and tricks
  • World Cup Weekend Guide
  • More
    • Win
    • Newsletters

© 2019 Food24.com. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Fill the forms below to register

Subscribe to Newsletter

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Close
Food24
Recipe Disclaimer

All recipe content is the responsibility of the party from whom such content originated. You agree that you use the content on Food24 at your own risk. Please read our editorial policy.
Close
Food24
Get the latest recipes delivered to your inbox weekly
Promotional Newsletter

Be the first to receive information about competitions and special offers from Food24 and it's partners.

You have successfully been subscribed!
Something went wrong. Please try again.
Make sure you have completed all required fields.
I don't want to see this again