Mezcal in Oaxaca

An ethnography of mezcal and how it has become a global, "artisanal" good. Mezcal is booming. Once considered a peasant drinkthe rough, lowbrow cousin of the more refined tequilathe smoky spirit is now prized by connoisseurs the world over. It is also hailed as a savior of Oaxaca, powering a craft industry that can uphold rural economies and Indigenous traditions. Ronda L. Brulotte traces mezcals swift rise and its effects on communities that have distilled and enjoyed the beverage for generations. Only in the late 1990s did mezcal begin to escape its longstanding associations with Indigenous and working-class life, even as these very qualities supply the authenticity that elite consumers crave. Through a detailed ethnography of the spirits industry in Oaxaca, Brulotte compares the ideal of the artisanal economy with the reality of participation in global markets. Her findingsfocused on tourism-led development and gentrification, the exploitation of women and smallholders, and swelling regional migration pressuresraise troubling questions about the ecological and social sustainability of a new craft imaginary that rebrands rustic products as luxury goods.