Común

What does común mean in the context of mezcal? In Spanish, común means “common” or “ordinary.” So it makes sense that in mezcal lingo, this word is synonymous with ordinario, a word commonly used to refer to the liquid that emerges during the first round of distillation. While some mezcal makers only ditsill once (this is most common in the realm of raicilla), most distill double, meaning that they put the común back into the still for a second round. Once the común is distilled, you have mezcal.