Mezcal

Mezcal" (/mɛˈskæl/, American Spanish: [mesˈkal]) is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of maguey. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli [meʃˈkalːi], which means "oven-cooked agave", from metl [met͡ɬ] and ixcalli [iʃˈkalːi]. Traditionally the word "mezcal" has been used generally in Mexico for all maguey spirits and it continues to be used for many maguey spirits whether these spirits have been legally certified as "mezcal" or not, and it is also considered a drink of artisan origin.