Spirits

Mezcal

Mezcal is distilled in Mexico from cooked agave hearts, always 100% agave under Mexico’s standard, NOM-070, at 35 to 55% ABV, and counted at 40% in our recipes. Artisanal mezcal, cooked in pit or masonry ovens, is where the smoke usually comes from. Espadín is the common agave, poured from a split base under tequila in an Oaxacan Old Fashioned to a full 60ml in a Mezcal Margarita.

Quick Facts

ABV40% ABVNOM-070 permits 35 to 55%; our recipes count mezcal at 40%.

Legal categorySpiritProtected name: 100% agave, made in Mexico under NOM-070

OriginMexico: Oaxaca and the other states in its denomination of origin

Flavour Strengthvery bold

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeIndefinitely unopened. Once opened, years if kept sealed and upright out of the light, though the aroma fades slowly.

Storage

Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use to preserve aromatics.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Mezcal

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

SmokeEarthy agaveMineralHerbalPepper

Tasting Notes

Distinct smoky aroma with earthy agave character, mineral dryness, herbal notes, and a long, savoury finish. Smoke varies widely by producer and agave type.

Mezcal is always 100% agave

Mexico’s mezcal standard, NOM-070, defines it as a distilled Mexican drink made from 100% agave, harvested within its denomination of origin and cooked before fermenting. Unlike tequila, it may use many agave species; espadín, Agave angustifolia, is the most widely used. It is made in Oaxaca and several other states, and a trade agreement between Britain and Mexico protects the name here.

The category on the label names how it was made

NOM-070 sets three categories. Plain Mezcal allows autoclaves, diffusers and column stills. Mezcal Artesanal requires the agave to be cooked in pit or masonry ovens and rules that equipment out. Mezcal Ancestral goes further, with clay pot stills. A separate class gives the age: joven or blanco, madurado en vidrio (rested in glass), reposado or añejo. Category and class appear separately on the label, so one bottle can be, say, an artesanal joven.

Mezcal against tequila. Mezcal: NOM-070; tequila: the Oxford Companion, a secondary source; the recipe counts are ours.

Agave

Mezcal: Many species; espadín is the common one
Tequila: Blue agave only

Agave share

Mezcal: 100%, always
Tequila: 51% minimum; 100% if the label says so

Where

Mezcal: Oaxaca and other states in its denomination
Tequila: Jalisco and parts of four other states

Strength in Mexico

Mezcal: 35 to 55%
Tequila: 35 to 55%

Our recipes

Mezcal: Seven, mostly 22.5 to 30ml
Tequila: 26, mostly 45 to 60ml

Point	Mezcal	Tequila
Agave	Many species; espadín is the common one	Blue agave only
Agave share	100%, always	51% minimum; 100% if the label says so
Where	Oaxaca and other states in its denomination	Jalisco and parts of four other states
Strength in Mexico	35 to 55%	35 to 55%
Our recipes	Seven, mostly 22.5 to 30ml	26, mostly 45 to 60ml

In our drinks it usually shares the base

The Oaxacan Old Fashioned floats 15ml over reposado tequila; the Naked and Famous uses 22.5ml with Aperol, yellow Chartreuse and lime; the Tia Mia sets 30ml beside aged Jamaican rum with orgeat and lime. Only the Mezcal Margarita gives it the full 60ml, with lime and agave syrup.

Using it

Using Mezcal

Usage

A full 60ml leads a Mezcal Margarita; 22.5 to 30ml shares the base in a Naked and Famous, a Division Bell or a Tia Mia; 15ml sits over reposado tequila in an Oaxacan Old Fashioned. Start with an unaged espadín for mixing.

Pro Tip

If a mezcal drink tastes only of smoke, the bottle is too heavily smoked for mixing; the measure is rarely the problem. Swap in a gentler espadín before cutting the pour, so the agave fruit stays in the drink.

Top Tips

For mixing, buy a joven espadín: unaged, moderately smoky, and the agave most of our recipes name.
Mezcal Artesanal or Mezcal Ancestral on the label tells you how it was made; under NOM-070, plain Mezcal allows modern equipment.
Split the base before replacing tequila outright: 15ml of mezcal under a tequila drink adds smoke without taking over.
The worm is not a mark of quality. We have found no primary record of when producers began adding it.

Possible Substitutions

Tequila: No smoke and a single agave; a reposado keeps more weight in a stirred drink

Production Method

Mature agave hearts are cooked (in pits or masonry ovens for artesanal and ancestral mezcal), then milled, fermented and distilled. NOM-070 requires 100% agave and sets three categories: plain Mezcal, which allows modern equipment; Mezcal Artesanal, which rules out autoclaves, diffusers and column stills; and Mezcal Ancestral, with clay pot stills.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is mezcal?

A spirit distilled in Mexico from the cooked hearts of agave plants, always 100% agave under Mexico’s standard, NOM-070. It can be made from many agave species, espadín most often, in Oaxaca and other states. Cooking the agave in pit ovens, as artisanal producers do, gives many mezcals a smoky taste that tequila lacks.

How is mezcal different from tequila?

In three ways. The Oxford Companion, a secondary source, gives tequila as blue agave alone, from Jalisco and parts of four other states, with at least 51% agave unless it is 100% agave. Mezcal may use many agave species from its own denomination and is always 100% agave. Roasting in pits, common in artisanal mezcal, adds the smoke tequila lacks.

Why is mezcal smoky?

Mostly because of how the agave is cooked. NOM-070 has artisanal and ancestral mezcal cooked in pits or stone ovens, and the smoke gets into the hearts before they are crushed and fermented. Plain mezcal may be cooked in autoclaves instead, and some bottles are barely smoky at all.

What do artesanal and ancestral mean on mezcal?

They are two of the three categories in NOM-070. NOM-070 has Mezcal Artesanal cooked in pits or stone ovens, and its list of equipment leaves out autoclaves, diffusers and column stills. Mezcal Ancestral goes further, with traditional methods and clay pot stills. NOM-070’s plain Mezcal allows autoclaves, diffusers and continuous stills.

How strong is mezcal?

NOM-070 sets a range of 35 to 55% ABV, and most bottles sold here are 40 to 48%. Taking 40%, a Mezcal Margarita’s 60ml is 2.4 UK units; a 48% bottle makes it about 2.9, and the smoke more forceful too.

What about the worm in mezcal?

It is a larva that lives on the agave plant. We have found no primary record of when producers began adding it to bottles. In fact it says nothing about the quality of the mezcal, and many bottles have none.

Which mezcal should I use in cocktails?

An unaged espadín, around 40%, with moderate smoke. Our recipes name it because it is the common agave and its smoke sits under lime, Campari or Chartreuse without burying them. Save wild-agave and single-village bottles to drink unmixed; lime and Campari flatten exactly what makes them different.

Sources.

Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.

Consejo Regulador del Mezcal, “NOM-070-SCFI-2016, Alcoholic beverages: Mezcal: Specifications (English translation)” (English translation of the standard published in the Diario Oficial on 23 February 2017).
GOV.UK, “Mezcal: protected spirit drink name”.
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Steve Olson), “mezcal” (secondary source: the mezcal denomination of 1995 and NOM-070; espadín (Agave angustifolia) the most widely cultivated; roasting in earthen pits).
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata), “tequila” (secondary source: blue agave; Jalisco and municipalities of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas; 100 percent agave or mixto at 51 percent agave carbohydrate).

Make something

Made with Mezcal

Featured In These Cocktails

Tia Mia Mezcal Margarita Division Bell Mezcal Negroni Naked and Famous Oaxacan Old Fashioned

Show all 7 cocktails

Illegal

Often Used With

Updated 19 October 2026

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