ZIGNUM MEZCAL –WHAT IS THE AGAVE ?
Michael Hepworth
Hollywood,CA(Spiritsman)2/2/12/—Many advocates of Mezcal would argue that it is a far more versatile drink than Tequila, and the prime reasons are three fold. Mezcal is made from Green Agave and Tequila is made from Blue Agave; Mezcal has an earthy smooth taste and is highly mixable. Tequila comes up short in both of those categories, and after checking out Zignum Mezcal I am eager to find out more.
Getting very technical, Mezcal is extracted from the distillation and rectification of the “mostos” prepared from the extracted sugars from mature agave heads.The word mezcal actually derives from the Nahuatl “mexicali” meaning, “cooked Maguey.”
The Maguey is not a cactus but is in fact is a plant consisting of thick and fleshy leaves on a short stem with a low pineapple fruit that is kept underground. Zignum is produced from the Agave Espadin, which is the most common type of green agave species.
Like Tequila, it comes in the three categories of Silver, Reposado and Anejo, and although I only tried the Anejo, I will be more than responsive to try the other versions once they come into my radar of always searching out new and exciting drinks. The Silver is fresh and crisp and the Reposado is only aged two months.
Zignum is produced in Oaxaca, Mexico, at a facility in Tiacoluca de Matamoros, and uses new-school Mezcaleros and updated technical procedures to produce the drink. It is the first mezcal ever to be produced in a world class distillery where the agave plants are cooked properly without burning which eliminates any smokiness in the flavor.
Recipes
Z-Fresh: 3 parts Zignum Silver
1 part Sprite
1 part Ice
Zig & Ginger Ale: 3 parts Zignum Reposado
1 part Ginger Ale
1 part Ice
Michael Hepworth
287 S.Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
http://twitter.com/MrSpiritsman