Agave young flower stalk. Agave nectar (also called agave syrup), a sweetener derived from the sap, is used as an alternative to sugar in cooking, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent. The sap of "A. americana" and other species is used in Mexico and Mesoamerica to produce "pulque", an alcoholic beverage. The flower shoot is cut out and the sap collected and subsequently fermented. By distillation, a spirit called "mezcal" is prepared; one of the best-known forms of mezcal is tequila. When dried and cut in slices, the flowering stem forms natural razor strops, and the
Agave × arizonica also more cylindrical flowers. Its flowers are yellow, with 10-20 per cluster, each up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long. Agave × arizonica Agave" × "arizonica is a rare plant, endemic to Arizona. It is a hybrid between two species of "Agave" in the family Asparagaceae, "A. chrysantha" and "A. toumeyana" var. "bella". It was discovered in the 1960s near a summit of the New River Mountains, near the Maricopa-Yavapai county line north of Phoenix, Arizona. "Agave" × "arizonica" is a small plant about 30 cm high and 40 cm broad. Although similar to "Agave utahensis", it has distinct differences