The Mezcal Rush: Explorations in Agave Country
From
goodreads.com:
In pursuit of the story behind a beguiling
drink, Granville Greene embarks on a journey through remote Mexican highlands to
learn about the history, cultures, and traditions surrounding mezcal. In recent
years the smoky flavored agave distillate has become a craft cocktail darling,
rivaling even its better-known cousin tequila, and it can sell for over $100 a
bottle in the U.S.
But unlike most high-end spirits, mezcals are typically produced by and for subsistence farming communities, where distillers have been swept up in a hot new trend in which they have very little voice. Greene visits indigenous villages in Oaxaca and Guerrero states, meeting maestros mezcaleros who create their signature smallbatch drinks using local plants and artisanal production methods honed through generations of mezcal-making families.
As Greene details the sights, smells, and intoxicating flavors of Mexico, he turns his eye to the broader context of impoverished villages in a changing economic and political landscape. He explores the gold-rush style surge of micro-distilled mezcals as luxury exports, and the consequent overharvesting that threatens the diversity of wild agaves, as he finds the oldest distilled spirit in the Americas at a crossroads.
But unlike most high-end spirits, mezcals are typically produced by and for subsistence farming communities, where distillers have been swept up in a hot new trend in which they have very little voice. Greene visits indigenous villages in Oaxaca and Guerrero states, meeting maestros mezcaleros who create their signature smallbatch drinks using local plants and artisanal production methods honed through generations of mezcal-making families.
As Greene details the sights, smells, and intoxicating flavors of Mexico, he turns his eye to the broader context of impoverished villages in a changing economic and political landscape. He explores the gold-rush style surge of micro-distilled mezcals as luxury exports, and the consequent overharvesting that threatens the diversity of wild agaves, as he finds the oldest distilled spirit in the Americas at a crossroads.
Hardcover, 256
pages
Published March 14th 2017 by
Counterpoint
ISBN
1619028441 (ISBN13:
9781619028449)
From the back of the book:
Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for The Mezcal
Rush
"A rich, inclusive portrait of one of the world's great drinks." ―Kirkus Reviews
"An artful combination of travel narrative and research―I felt as if I was sipping mezcal through Mexico as I read it." ―Baylor Chapman, author of The Plant Recipe Book
"A unique and fascinating journey following the mezcal trail from remote Mexican villages to trendy bars abroad, from indigenous fiestas to mixology events crammed with modish tipplers. Greene's lively and skillful blend of travelogue and social commentary charts the sometimes troubled links between these very different worlds." ―Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator, The Financial Times
"A rich, inclusive portrait of one of the world's great drinks." ―Kirkus Reviews
"An artful combination of travel narrative and research―I felt as if I was sipping mezcal through Mexico as I read it." ―Baylor Chapman, author of The Plant Recipe Book
"A unique and fascinating journey following the mezcal trail from remote Mexican villages to trendy bars abroad, from indigenous fiestas to mixology events crammed with modish tipplers. Greene's lively and skillful blend of travelogue and social commentary charts the sometimes troubled links between these very different worlds." ―Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator, The Financial Times
About the Author
GRANVILLE GREENE is a
graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. He has written
for Outside, The New York Times, and many other
publications. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Leona's Review:
This was a very interesting book that
covers the people, the plants, the making of mezcal, procedures, and some
political points.
I learned there are so many types of mezcal
and they come from the personalities of the growers and the areas they live. Not
all of them are smoky as many people think. There are different types of
mezcal. There are many different flavors and aromas and water plays an
important part in the production of the mezcal.
Mezcal is used as a ceremonial drink for
marriages, baptisms and first communions. It is used for medicinal purposes such
as rubbing on sick children, intestinal problems, bone pains and by women after
childbirth.
Men interviewed for the book says mezcal is
not for getting drunk.
The Ford Motor Company partnered with Jose
Cuervo to use leftover agave plant fibers for bioplastic car parts in
2016.
I took many notes from the
book:
Maple syrup, rice, honey, water, comals,
food, families, water streams, warm orange soda, old cars, no gas pumps so they
got gas in a plastic jug, smelled butter, boiled rabbit, huipils, agave Goddess
Nayahuel, Day of the Dead, Columbusing (find something not new), brand names,
George Clooney, embroidered cloths, the sculptor Francisco Toledo, Chef
Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo, social networking, saints on dashboards, history of
mezcal, one book said all tasted the same but Granville Greene disagrees, daddy
long legs, individual techniques, Lighting Nectar from the gods and burros.
I have studied the Maya so many places were
familiar to me. I added the daddy long legs as I have seen many in my home state
of Texas.
There is a glossary at the end of the book
as well as Cited Books.
I won a complimentary copy of The Mezcal
Rush from Goodreads.com. The opinions are my own.
I give it a five star rating and I think
all bars who serve mezcal should read it. No recipes but it pulls the reader
into the people and the making of the mezcal.
"Has a bit of spirit from one who makes it"
page 179
Leona Olson
No comments:
Post a Comment