El término mezcal (del náhuatl mexcalli, ' maguey cocido', de metl 'maguey' e ixcalli 'cocido') tiene tres acepciones, en la actualidad: \n* Es el nombre común de algunas especies de maguey o agave, en México; \n* En su sentido primigenio se refiere al alimento obtenido de la cocción del tallo y de la base de las hojas de esta planta, y \n* Sobre todo, es el nombre de una bebida alcohólica tradicional mexicana, que puede producirse en 9 estados diferentes del país, elaborada a partir de la destilación del corazón del Maguey. Existen diferentes tipos de maguey, y cada uno produce una versión diferente de mezcal; una de las más conocidas, aunque no responde exactamente a la definición tradicional del mezcal, es el tequila. La producción del mezcal está regulada por la Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-070-SCFI-1994.

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Mezcal (or mescal) (/mɛsˈkæl/) is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli [meʃˈkalːi] metl [met͡ɬ] and ixcalli [iʃˈkalːi] which means "oven-cooked agave". The agave grows in many parts of Mexico, though most mezcal is made in Oaxaca. It can also be made in Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, and the recently approved Michoacan. A saying attributed to Oaxaca regarding the drink is: "Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también." ("For every ill, Mezcal, and for every good as well."). It is unclear whether distilled drinks were produced in Mexico before the Spanish Conquest. The Spaniards were introduced to native fermented drinks such as pulque, also made from the agave plant. Soon, the conquistadors began experimenting with the agave plant to find a way to make a distillable fermented mash. The result was mezcal. Today, mezcal is still made from the heart of the agave plant, called the piña, much the same way it was 200 years ago, in most places. In Mexico, mezcal is generally consumed straight and has a strong smoky flavor. Though mezcal is not as popular as tequila (made specifically from the blue agave in select regions of the country), Mexico does export the product, mostly to Japan and the United States, and exports are growing. Despite the similar name, mezcal does not contain mescaline or other psychedelic substances.

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