The Real Difference Between Tequila and Mezcal

Tequila and mezcal are both distilled from agave, and every tequila is technically a mezcal, but the reverse is not true. Here is the difference in plain terms, plus the categories on the label and three drinks that show what mezcal does in a glass.

Tequila is a mezcal, but mezcal is not tequila

Mezcal is the general term for any spirit distilled from agave in Mexico. Tequila is one specific kind: it can only be made from Blue Weber agave, and only in Jalisco and a few designated areas of four neighboring states. Mezcal under its own appellation can be made from dozens of agave varieties (espadín is the most common) across nine states, with Oaxaca producing the large majority.

The bigger difference is in the cooking. Tequila producers usually steam the agave hearts in ovens or autoclaves. Traditional mezcal producers roast them for days in earthen pits over wood and hot rocks, which is where the smoke comes from. Mezcal is also more often distilled in small batches in copper or clay stills, and it is usually bottled unaged or lightly aged, so the agave itself is more prominent than in a barrel-aged tequila. If you know Scotch, the relationship is roughly the one between a big Speyside blend and a small-batch Islay malt: same raw material, very different process.

The categories on the label

Tequila is categorized by aging. Our tequila types guide covers this in more detail.

• Blanco (also called silver or plata): unaged, or rested less than two months. Clear, and the most direct expression of the agave.
• Reposado: aged in oak for at least two months and less than a year. Light gold, with some vanilla and spice from the wood.
• Añejo: aged one to three years. Darker and rounder, closer in character to an aged whiskey or brandy.
• Extra añejo: aged more than three years.

Mezcal uses similar terms. Joven is unaged (the great majority of mezcal), reposado and añejo follow the same aging bands as tequila. Mezcal labels also say which agave was used, and whether the producer is ancestral (clay stills, pit roasting), artesanal (copper stills, pit roasting) or industrial.

Three mezcals to know

• Zignum Reposado: an Oaxacan espadín mezcal rested in oak. Dry and balanced, with the barrel time rounding off the smoke to a light background note.
• Zignum Silver: the same producer’s unaged bottling. The agave is steamed rather than pit-roasted, so there is almost no smoke; it reads clean and citrusy, closer to a blanco tequila.
• Del Maguey Vida: a single-village espadín mezcal from San Luis del Río, Oaxaca, made the traditional way and bottled at 42%. Smoky and fruity, and the one most bars reach for when a cocktail calls for mezcal.

Saucey delivers mezcal and tequila in as fast as 25 mins in the cities we serve.

Mezcal cocktails

Mezcal Paloma

The most popular tequila drink in Mexico, with mezcal in place of tequila. Build 2 oz mezcal, 1/2 oz fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt over ice in a tall glass and top with 4 oz grapefruit soda. Fresh grapefruit juice plus a splash of soda water works in place of the grapefruit soda.

Grilled pineapple mezcal margarita

Grill thick pineapple slices until charred, then muddle two chunks in a shaker. Add 2 oz mezcal, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice and 1/2 oz agave syrup, shake hard with ice, and strain over fresh ice in a salt-rimmed glass. The char on the fruit picks up the smoke in the mezcal. Our standard margarita recipe has the base proportions.

Mezcal and Aperol

A spritz-style drink that pairs smoke with bitter orange. Shake 1.5 oz mezcal, 1 oz Aperol, 3/4 oz fresh grapefruit juice and 1/2 oz lime juice with ice, strain over ice in a rocks glass, and top with a splash of soda. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.