Mezcal
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Mezcal, sometimes spelled mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli, which means "oven-cooked agave", from metl and ixcalli. Traditionally the word "mezcal" has been used generally in Mexico for all agave spirits and it continues to be used for many agave spirits whether these spirits have been legally certified as "mezcal" or not.
Bottles at a factory in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca
A "Huichol still", a modified Filipino-type still with a suspended internal distillate collector. It was used by the Huichol people for making sotol (c. 1898).
A cantaro jar, made from barro negro pottery, used for serving mezcal
A typical maguey landscape
Agave
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Agave is a genus of monocots native to the arid & meso regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Agave now includes species formerly placed in a number of other genera, such as Manfreda, ×Mangave, Polianthes and Prochnyanthes.
The large flower spike of Agave chiapensis, San Francisco Botanical Garden
A row of agaves in bloom in the Karoo region of South Africa: The inflorescences of the plants are clearly visible.
Fibers inside a huachuca agave leaf (Agave parryi)