The women behind the red-hot mezcal industry

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From Hong Kong to New York to London, liquor fans are hot for mezcal. It’s a Mexican agave spirit similar to tequila, yet stronger and often smokier. And the world’s sudden thirst for mezcal is reshaping the Mexican villages where it’s made. It’s also opening the door to some unexpected Mexican entrepreneurs — women. Image: Graciela Angeles is the general manager of Mezcal Real Minero, based in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Credit: Grace Rubenstein