Feb 29, 2012
Well, this was a day to remember. We visited a 75-year-old man who is producing mescal using the same techniques and much of the same equipment as his father did before him.
We saw it all -- the fields where the plants grow, the enormous rock-lined pit where the plants are boiled, the stone grinder for crusher, fermentation beds, distiller, wooden troughs where the liquor runs off, collection vessels.
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| Rock bath at centre shown in close-up below |
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| The mule had the day off |
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| Fermentation vat |
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| Mescal collects here and is filtered into vessels |
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| Liquor runs along wooden trough |
Of course we did some sampling.
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| Note the tree growing growing through the roof. |
I found this definition of mescal, which says it all:
- a colorless alcoholic liquor of Mexico made from pulque or other fermented agave juice: it is lower in quality and rougher in taste than tequila
Isn't it mescal that plays a key role in Under the Volcano? Thanks for the tour - a way of life that will disappear and only be captured in photos like these. The maker looks remarkably young - is it a preservative or does he not indulge?
ReplyDeleteYes, Jesus looks fit and hardy and I kept thinking his age is 65, not 75. I believe he conducts some quality control sampling of his product. Grand fellow, and very hospitable.
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