THE MEZCAL
WHAT IS MEZCAL?
Mezcal is proudly a Mexican drink, the result of the agave distillation process. It is a product with a Protected Designation of Origin and must comply with the guidelines established in the Official Mexican Standard (NOM-070); Likewise, it must have a certifying body that guarantees its compliance.
WHAT IS CONVITE?
Beyond the bronco Mexico, mezcal is related to Mexican festivities and traditions steeped in rural customs and traditions.
In Oaxaca, people meet, gather, invite and celebrate around a Convite: at births, baptisms, marriages, anniversaries, birthdays, bridal requests, “mayordomía”, communal work, parades and festivities such as Guelaguetza, Day of the Dead, Christmas and New Year.
Oaxacan mezcal cannot be understood without its unique context of art and Zapotec tradition expressed in its landscapes, architecture, artesanal crafts, music, gastronomy, graphic arts, folklore and textiles.
TYPES OF AGAVES
The agave cactus is what prevails in the mezcal flavor and it is precisely in these flavors that lie its strength and complexity.
Most of the mezcal magueys are wild and only some, such as Tequilana and Angustifolia (Espadín), are cultivated. Among the wild agaves are the Coyote, Jabalí, Madrecuishe, Tepextate, Tobalá and Tobasiche, each of them with a unique flavor and identity.
Oaxaca is the state that offers the most diversity in agave species, some of which are endemic to this region. The state has the greatest variety of mezcal agaves, benefiting from an exceptional geographic and climatic situation that result in an elixir, worthy of the most demanding palates.
The agave has contributed to the creation of our national identity, both in drinks and in landscapes, it is precisely where rural beauty converges with artisan beauty.
FROM 7 TO 25 YEARS
That is the amount of time needed for an agave to reach maturity.
While other spirits beverages have an agricultural cycle of nine to a maximum of 18 months, there are wild agaves that have a maturation cycle of up to 25 years!
Mezcal is the distilled beverage with the longest production process in the world. Therefore, producing a rounded mezcal involves many years of patience!
STORAGE
Traditionally, mezcal was stored in black clay pitchers, which served for the maturation and preservation of its organoleptic characteristics.
To preserve traditions at Convite, we designed a bottle that recalls the ancestral way of storing mezcal. The decoration of the bottle tells a 360-degree story about how wild agaves grow, the artisanal production processes, as well as mezcal’s contribution to the Mexican festive identity.
