Oaxacan Mezcal

Tequila is made from one agave in one region; mezcal can be made from many, and in Oaxaca it usually is. The hearts are roasted for days in a pit lined with hot rocks and covered with earth, which is where the smoke comes from, then crushed under a stone wheel pulled by a mule, fermented in open wooden vats with wild yeast, and distilled in small copper or clay stills. Espadín is the workhorse agave; tobalá, tepeztate and madrecuishe are wild and take a decade or more to mature, which is why they cost what they do. The palenques are family operations in villages along the valleys, and visiting one, rather than a bar, is the way to understand it.

What you actually see

• The roasting pit - agave hearts buried with hot rocks for several days.
• The tahona - the stone wheel that crushes the roasted agave.
• Open fermentation - wooden vats working on wild yeast alone.
• Wild agaves - tobalá and tepeztate, and why they are expensive.

When to go

Year-round, since palenques work all year, though the roasting and distilling cycle means not every stage is running on any given day; ask before travelling if you want to see the pit opened. Combine with the Tlacolula Sunday market, which is on the same road as many of the palenques.

Honest expectations

Mezcal is strong, commonly around 45 per cent and often higher, and tasting several at a palenque before driving is a genuinely bad idea; use a driver or a tour. Demand has put real pressure on wild agave populations, so the slow-maturing varieties are worth buying thoughtfully. Much of what is sold as artisanal in bars is industrial product with smoke flavouring added.

Nearby

Mitla and Hierve el Agua are on the same valley road; Oaxaca city is the base.