mescal

[ me-skal ]

noun

1. an intoxicating beverage distilled from the fermented juice of certain species of agave.
2. any agave yielding this spirit.
3. Also called peyote. either of two species of spineless, dome-shaped cactus, Lophophora williamsii or L. diffusa, of Texas and northern Mexico, yielding the hallucinogen peyote.

mescal

/ mɛˈskæl /

noun

1. Also calledpeyote a spineless globe-shaped cactus, Lophophora williamsii, of Mexico and the southwestern US. Its button-like tubercles ( mescal buttons ) contain mescaline and are chewed by certain Indian tribes for their hallucinogenic effects
2. a colourless alcoholic spirit distilled from the fermented juice of certain agave plants

Word History and Origins

Origin of mescal¹

1695–1705, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish mescal, mezcal, mexcal < Nahuatl mexcalli intoxicant distilled from agave (perhaps equivalent to me ( tl ) maguey + ( i ) xcalli something cooked)

Word History and Origins

Origin of mescal¹

C19: from American Spanish, from Nahuatl mexcalli the liquor, from metl maguey + ixcalli stew

Example Sentences

The bowls have a purpose: to scoop up servings of mescal punch from a 55-gallon drum at a downtown park, where celebrants dance as a brass band blares away.

From Los Angeles Times

Negative stereotypes about Romani people have become so commonplace that they appear in seemingly innocuous places — like at a Los Angeles bar, in a cocktail named “Gypsy Fever,” featuring something called “illegal mescal.”

From Los Angeles Times

The researchers couldn’t get DNA samples from three of the worms, which was likely because those worms had been baked before being placed in the mescal, they wrote.

From Scientific American

Or grab the smoky mescal margarita; it’s better than many agave variations served at area taquerias.

From Seattle Times

For drinks, there are lots of agave tweaks on the classics such as mescal- and tequila- based takes on negronis and martinis.

From Seattle Times