Santa Catarina Minas Mezcal

The history of man and the domestication of maguey, formerly known as meztl, began 10 thousand years ago in Mesoamerica. Since then the plant has been important element of ceremonies and rites.

During The Conquest, the Spaniards found, among other treasures, a mystical drink called "aguamiel” (fermented from agave must), which was consumed exclusively by the Zapotec kings and priests. Some indigenous communities made liquor from the agave or maguey called mezcalli that, in the Náhuatl language, means "cooked pineapple".

So it is due to the merit of the Spanish Conquistador, whose method of distillation using copper stills is what has resulted in the drink that is nowadays known world-wide as Mezcal. So, it must be said, that mezcal results from the conjunction of two civilizations: the pre-Hispanic towns and the Spaniards.

Centennial Inheritance
Heir of this hundred years of history, Don Ismael Arellanes and his son, Bonifacio, and several other families, who still make mezcal in the distillery Real de las Minas, located in the municipality of Santa Catarina Minas, and belonging to the district of Ocotlán.

Don Ismael’s father taught him about everything concerning the production process, but it was not until 1934 that he decided to dedicate himself to the task. He began selling his mezcal in the city of Oaxaca and Zimatlán.

Like many other manufacturers of the region, they grow and buy different varieties of maguey. But it is here, in the distillery Real of Minas, where the process continues in 100% artisan form.

Varieties
One of the characteristics of the production is the mixture of agaves, which results in an aromatic drink that can be, to some degree, sweet. Among the different varieties pertaining to the Central Valley are the Largo, Barril, Arruqueño, Tobasiche, Tripón, Coyota, Espadín, Canastuda and Bola, among others.

Manufacturing Process
The manufacture process is not simple. It can take up to a month to carry out just four fundamental steps: cooking, milling, fermenting and distilling. The first step is to clean the maguey and put it in an earth oven 1.5 meters deep where wood trunks feed the fire that is covered with river rock (known as blue stone) and with guarape (the scraps that remain from the maguey), so that the fire does not directly touch the maguey hearts that are cooked for five days in a little water while remaining covered with earth.
Once cooked the agave is covered with canvases while it matures which averages about one week. When ready it is cut up and ground. The juice and the fiber that is obtained is deposited in wood tubs with water where the must ferments for 12 to 15 days, during which time the sugars will reach a maximum degree of decomposition thus becoming tepache. The mixture is stirred periodically during this time because it is fundamental to the quality and flavor of the mezcal.

The last step involves distillation in clay pots, not in copper stills. It is begun at night in a process that lasts up to 36 hours during which the distiller cannot sleep because he must be ready to change the containers where the alcohol separates as it is distilled thus becoming the exact composition which is mezcal.

Mezcal of Pechuga
The mezcal of pechuga (chicken breast) is more refined and costs double the price because it goes through two or three refining processes.

This process involves using a little Creole apple, banana of Castile, almond, pineapple, plum, apricot, sugar, anise, rice and, in the old days, a chicken breast.

Touring
The places that can be visited to taste and buy mezcal that has been made in the artisan way--in tubs of wood, clay pots and stone furnaces--are Santa Catarina Minas and San Baltazar Chichicapam, a route that takes approximately 4 hours. First, you need to get to Ocotlán. From there, go east (approximately 15 minutes) until arriving at Santa Catarina Minas. Continuing on the same highway (approximately 30 minutes) you will get to San Baltazar Chichicapam. Equally, the mezcal of these producers can be acquired Fridays and Saturdays in the Organic Market of Pochote, in the city of Oaxaca.