Mezcal

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A traditional Mexican distilled drink created from the agave plant that is often noted for its rich, smoky flavor profile
2. A type of alcoholic beverage produced from various agave species in Mexico, celebrated for its distinct taste influenced by regional production techniques
3. A unique distilled spirit made from several types of agave, primarily produced in Mexico, renowned for its complex flavor characteristics and artisanal crafting methods

Etymology: The Spanish word "mezcal" reached English as a variant of "mescal," and both trace back to Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs and many other peoples of central Mexico. The Nahuatl "mexcalli" named an intoxicating drink made by fermenting the juice of the agave plant, the same succulent whose sap was also prized for other uses. The word is thought to combine "metl," meaning maguey (a kind of agave), with "ixcalli," meaning stew or cooked food. The pairing makes sense for a drink whose production began with roasting agave hearts in earth ovens before fermentation. Spanish speakers adopted the word in its Mexican form, and it spread from there into English. The spirit itself is distilled from agave, and the Nahuatl name has outlasted the colonial centuries that reshaped so much else in Mexico.