Edited by Aj
In 1792, a Franciscan friar documented a rough agave spirit being produced in the valleys around Oaxaca, Mexico. He wasn’t describing something new. Farmers had been roasting agave hearts over open pits and fermenting the juice for generations before that. What he was describing, in effect, was mezcal. Tequila, its more famous cousin, came later and with considerably more commercial ambition behind it.
Most people meet tequila first, usually in a cocktail at a bar, or maybe a Margarita at a Mexican restaurant. Mezcal tends to arrive a bit later in life, often poured from a squat bottle with a smoky smell that stops you mid-sentence. Both spirits come from the agave plant. Both are made in Mexico. But the mezcal vs tequila question has a genuinely interesting answer, and understanding it changes how you appreciate either one.
Two Spirits, One Plant, Very Different Journeys
Here’s the simplest way to think about it: all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. Mezcal is the broad category. Any spirit made from roasted agave can technically be called mezcal. Tequila is a specific style within that category, with strict rules about where it’s made and which agave variety is used.
Tequila must be produced in designated Mexican states, primarily Jalisco, and it must be made from one specific agave: Blue Weber agave, often labelled as agave tequilana. The agave hearts (called piñas) are steamed or cooked in ovens, then crushed, fermented, and distilled. It’s an efficient, often industrial process. The result is clean, bright, and versatile.
Mezcal plays by looser rules in the best possible way. It can be made from over 30 different agave varieties, many of them wild. The piñas are roasted in underground pit ovens lined with hot rocks and wood, which gives mezcal its characteristic smoke. Production is mostly small-batch and still largely traditional, with many mezcaleros using stone mills, clay pots, and wild yeasts. The result is far more variable, and far more interesting to explore.
How It’s Made and Drunk Around the World
Mexico is where the story lives and breathes. In Jalisco, large distilleries produce tequila at scale. The blue agave plants grow in tidy rows. In Oaxaca, a mezcal producer might be working with a wild agave that took 25 years to mature, roasting it over mesquite for three days in a pit dug by hand. Both traditions are real. Both are worth respecting.
The United States drove the global tequila boom. Margaritas, tequila sunrises, and the rise of premium “sipping” tequilas all gained momentum in American cocktail culture from the 1980s onwards. Mezcal followed about 20 years later, finding a home in craft cocktail bars where bartenders were excited by its complexity and its story.
Spain has a quiet but genuine affection for both spirits, partly through cultural links with Latin America and partly because Spanish cocktail culture has grown substantially in the last decade. In Barcelona and Madrid, mezcal negroni variations have become a staple on serious bar menus.
New Zealand came to both relatively recently, but the appetite is real. Tequila has been a fixture in Kiwi bars for years, and spring is honestly one of the best times to revisit it. A simple tequila and soda with lime on a warm Wellington afternoon hits differently than a mid-winter whisky. Mezcal has carved out its place too, particularly in Auckland and Wellington’s independent bar scene. Kiwi drinkers who’ve developed an interest in spirits tend to take to mezcal quickly, drawn in by its craft credentials and the way it rewards slow, attentive drinking.
How to Actually Taste the Difference
Pour a blanco (unaged) tequila and a joven (young) mezcal side by side. That’s the clearest comparison. Tequila will give you something fresh and relatively clean: cooked agave, citrus peel, maybe a faint white pepper note. Mezcal will announce itself. Smoke first, usually, then something more complex underneath. Think dried fruit, charcoal, roasted capsicum, sometimes a mineral quality like damp earth.
Don’t add ice straight away. Smell each one. Then take a small sip and let it sit on the palate. With tequila, the agave character is fairly consistent from bottle to bottle. With mezcal, the agave variety, the region, the producer’s methods, all of it shapes the flavour significantly. A mezcal made from wild tobalá agave tastes completely different from one made from espadín. That variety is part of what makes it exciting.
What to Try First if You’re New to Either
Start with a good blanco tequila. Unaged, so you’re tasting the agave itself rather than barrel influence. Look for one labelled 100% agave on the bottle. Anything that just says “tequila” without that phrase may contain additives or non-agave sugars, which dulls the flavour considerably.
For mezcal, an espadín-based expression is the most common starting point. Espadín is the most widely cultivated mezcal agave, and it tends to balance smoke with enough sweetness to be approachable. Pour it neat, at room temperature, in a small glass. Many mezcaleros traditionally serve it in a clay cup called a copita, which concentrates the aroma nicely.
If you want to read more tasting notes and producer profiles to help narrow things down, the tastings and reviews section at Spiritly is a good place to browse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is mezcal always smoky?
Not always, but usually yes, to some degree. The smoke comes from roasting the agave in pit ovens. Some producers use less wood or different roasting methods, which produces a lighter smoke character. But if you’re buying mezcal expecting something smoke-free, you may be surprised. Lean into it rather than fighting it.
Which one is stronger?
Both typically sit between 38% and 46% alcohol by volume, though some artisanal mezcals are bottled at higher strengths. Neither is inherently “stronger” as a category. Strength varies by producer and expression, not by whether it’s tequila or mezcal.
Can I use them interchangeably in cocktails?
You can, but the result will taste different. Swapping mezcal into a Margarita gives you a smokier, more complex drink. Some people love it. Swapping tequila into a recipe designed for mezcal tends to produce something that tastes a little flat by comparison. Both are worth experimenting with.
Why does good mezcal often cost more than tequila?
Mostly because of how it’s made. Wild agave can take 10 to 30 years to mature before harvest. Small-batch production with traditional methods is slower and more labour-intensive than industrial tequila production. You’re also often buying from a single producer in a small village rather than a large distillery. The complexity in the glass reflects that.
