Mezonte Agave Spirits
If you are interested in tequila than you need to come visit Mezonte. Tequila is made from just one class of agave: the Weber Blue Agave. This is a tiny fraction of the classes of agaves used to make mezcal. Mezonte will take you down the rabbit hole and introduce you to all the beautiful plants and hardworking people involved in the traditional production of mezcal and other agave-based spirits.
Mezonte’s main objective is to create awareness of the cultural and biological value that these spirits represent.
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The agave plant
The people of Mesoamerica referred to the agave plant as the wonderful tree because it was used for so many different purposes. Besides using them for clothing and construction materials, cooked agave was used as the primary source of carbohydrates for the original people. Before the Spanish arrived in the 15th century they were already fermenting the agave plant to make a type of wine. It wasn’t until the Spanish arrived that they introduced the Moorish techniques for distilling. Before you know it, Mezcal was born.
Agave plants can take anywhere between 7 and 50 years to mature. There is a special place for the jimador who’s job it is to select and harvest only mature and ripe agaves.
Some agaves are cultivated with modern agricultural techniques and other are harvested wild. Consumers need to be aware of the entire spectrum of agaves that are used to make mezcal so that one particular type is not depleted in the wild.
Pedro Jimenez is the subject matter expert on all things mezcal and gives the best tastings that you can schedule in this part of Mexico, Guadalajara or Tequila, Jalisco. No matter what direction you want to take the conversation Pedro will amaze you with his storytelling ability and his mastery of the subject matter. This is the only place that matters when it comes to learning about distilled agave spirits in Guadalajara.
If you are coming to Guadalajara on the way to Tequila to tour a distillery, it would be worth the time to take a class with Mezonte first. You will enjoy the cultural history just as much as the culinary aspect.
