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Agave spirits : the past, present, and future of mezcals / Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera ; illustrations by René Tapia.

by Nabhan, Gary Paul, author.

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New York, N.Y. : W. W. Norton & Company, [2023]

Agaves -- History.

Mescal -- History.

Mescal industry -- History.

9780393867107 (hardcover) :

0393867102 (hardcover)

308 pages : black and white illustrations ; 24 cm

Part One. Mezcal's historic legacy -- Part Two. The future of the human-agave symbiosis.

The family of agave spirits -- Drinking and thinking like an agave -- Biodiversity in a bottle -- Mezcal as culture -- The thorny problem of farming agaves -- The mezcal mash -- Blessing the ferment of agave-loving microbes -- Distilling agaves down to their essence -- The tequila pandemic and its discontents -- From still to barstool -- Lost agaves and their forgotten spirits -- The wild dance between agaves and bats -- An agave agriculture -- The creativity of maestras mezcaleras -- Agaves' essential workers -- Empowering bartenders -- Epilogue : Policies for a brighter, more delicious future -- Appendix 1. The Mezcal Manifesto / Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera -- Appendix 2. Wild agaves and cultivated landraces (Razas criollas) distilled into agave spirits -- Appendix 3. Human-agave symbiosis : Domesticated agave species used in mezcal and other distillates -- Appendix 4. Plants and animals used in cured or infused agave distillates, in pechugas, or in seasoned salts -- Appendix 5. Mezcalexicon : A folk vocabulary.

The agave plant was never destined to become tasteless, cheap tequila. All tequilas are mezcals ; all mezcals are made from agaves ; and every bottle of mezcal is the remarkable result of collaborations among agave entrepreneurs, botanists, distillers, beverage distributors, bartenders, and more. How these groups come together in this "spirits world" is the subject of this fascinating new book by the acclaimed ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and the pioneering restaurateur David Suro Piñera. Join them as they delight in the diversity of the distillate agave spirits, as they endeavor to track down the more distant kin in the family of agaves, and as, along the way, they reveal the stunning innovations that have been transforming the industry around tequilas and mezcals in recent decades. The result of the authors' fieldwork and on-the-ground interviews with mezcaleros in eight Mexican states, 'Agave Spirits' shows how traditional methods of mezcal production are inspiring a new generation of individuals, including women, both in and beyond the industry. And as they reach back into a rich, centuries-long history, Nabhan and Suro Piñera make clear that understanding the story behind a bottle of mezcal, more than any other drink, will not only reveal what lies ahead for the tradition -- including its ability to adapt in the face of the climate crisis -- but will also enrich the drinking experience for readers. Essential reading for mezcal connoisseurs and amateurs interested in unlocking the past of a delightful distillate, 'Agave Spirits' tells the tale of the most flavorful and memorable spirits humankind has ever sipped and savored. Featuring twelve illustrations by René Alejandro Hernández Tapia and indices that list common and scientific names for agave species, as well as the names of plants, animals, and domesticated agaves used in the production of distillates.

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