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Mezcal & Sotol - agave and dasyliria spirit

While the Mexican national drink tequila must originate from the city of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, agave spirit produced outside this area is known as mezcal (or mescal). Mezcal is divided into three quality levels: Blanco Mezcal, Reposado Mezcal and Añejo Mezcal and is usually drunk as a digestif or in cocktails and long drinks. The drinks Mezcal Old Fashioned and Mezcal Sazerac are particularly popular. A “worm” is occasionally found in mezcal as a marketing gag. Sotol is also a Mexican spirit with a taste similar to tequila. Unlike tequila and mezcal, however, sotol is not distilled from agave but from dasyliria. Sotol is also divided into three quality levels: Blanco, Reposado and Añejo. Well-known mezcal & sotol brands are San Cosme and Hacienda de Chihuahua.