Succulents and More™

Everybody is familiar with tequila , a distilled spirit made in the Mexican state of Jalisco from a specific agave species, Agave tequilana (often referred to as the blue Weber agave although it has nothing to do with Agave weberi ). You may also have heard of mezcal , a distilled spirit made from any number of agave species (primarily Agave angustifolia , known in Mexico as espadín ) in other places in Mexico (the epicenter of mezcal production is the state of Oaxaca). In contrast to tequila, mezcal often has a smoky flavor because the heart of the agave, the piña , is roasted in underground pits prior to distillation. In addition, there’s raicilla and bacanora , but they’re virtually unknown in the U.S. Raicilla is made only in the southwestern part of Jalisco, typically from Agave rhodacantha , Agave maximiliana , or Agave inaequidens . Bacanora is made in the mountains of Sonora exclusively from Agave angustifolia var. pacifica . Beyond that, there’s a spirit called sotol , but...