mescal vs hard drink

mescal and hard drink both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
mescal	Yes	No	No	No
hard drink	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, hard drink is a hypernym of mescal; that is, hard drink is a word with a broader meaning than mescal:

mescal: a colorless Mexican liquor distilled from fermented juices of certain desert plants of the genus Agavaceae (especially the century plant)
hard drink: an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

Other hypernyms of mescal include booze, hard liquor, John Barleycorn, liquor, spirits, strong drink.

mescal (noun)	hard drink (noun)
a colorless Mexican liquor distilled from fermented juices of certain desert plants of the genus Agavaceae (especially the century plant)	an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
a small spineless globe-shaped cactus; source of mescal buttons