Author Archives: Mezcal PhD

Mezcal Marca Negra: Good Things Are Happening

Mezcal PhD / February 7, 2015

Marca Negra has been around for a few years – guessing that they came into the US market in 2011. I have always liked their super cool funky green bottle with the black hand print running from front to back, and found their mezcals to be really good. The first iteration of the brand was Mano Negra ( the Black Hand), but they had some trademark issues so they changed the name to Marca Negra (effectively, the Black Mark). I think I first tried it at Pulqueria in NYC about 3 years ago – it was their tobala and it was excellent! I looked forward to trying more.

Since that first tasting, I have bought a few more bottles over the years in exploration of the brand, and my mezcal-y mother-in-law swears by their espadin! But I do not see the brand around NYC that often so I have not tasted all of their offerings.

Then about a year ago I was in Oaxaca, and I met the founder of the brand, Pedro Quintanilla, a very nice guy who I am happy to drink mezcal with anytime! He promised to send me a bottle. Never came. And that is not very unusual as it happens with a fair amount of regularity (I never take it personally, though as a business guy I find it to be a bad practice). Then this summer (are you still with me?) in a thread to one on my posts I mentioned that Pedro never followed through. I quickly received an apologetic email from Pedro which was soon followed by a delivery of three 750ml bottles of Marca Negra! Maybe I should call people out more often??

But 3 bottles? Very generous. Overly generous. He sent an arroqueno, a tobala, and an ensamble. So then I went out and bought their espadin and their dobadaan – I wanted the complete set! With all five bottles now in hand, I felt a review was in order.

(Reviews are tricky sometimes and I really do not do that many. I should do more. I will do more. But they are tricky because sometimes people are kind enough to send me a sample, but then what do I do if I don’t really like it? Do I bluff and say I like it anyway? Hmmmm….not really my style. Or do I write something negative about a well-intentioned premium brand that generously sent me a bottle? That’s hard for me to do as well. So usually what I do is simply say nothing. If you have sent me a bottle and I have not reviewed your mezcal, it may also just be that I am way behind, which I am!).

If you are regular reader of the blog, you know that while I don’t do many full blown brand reviews, I frequently make qualitative comments about mezcals I am drinking on any given night (or morning). I put a lot of these one-off micro-reviews on FB and Twitter. And I only tend to do full brand reviews if a brand has a lot to offer, such as multiple expressions – be it agave varietals, special bottlings, or repos and anejos, for example.

Man, enough said. Let’s taste some mezcal! So I have all 5 of Marca Negra’s offerings (though they tell me a tepeztate is on the way soon as well). And I really like what they are doing here. Let’s check them out:

Arroqueno. When I first tasted this several months ago, I thought it was good, but I was getting a bit of alcohol on the finish (at 48.6% ABV this would not be very unusual). And a great arroqueno would not have that in my view. I mentioned this to Pedro and he suggested putting the bottle in a dark place for a few months to let it mellow since this batch was literally fresh off the still. So I did that, and man was he right! It went from good to excellent. On the nose, I find fresh tropical fruit – citrus, banana, and maybe pineapple. Rich and fruity! On the palate, it fills your mouth with robust flavors of fruit and sweet roasted agave. Really nice. The finish still fades a bit for me but the prominent alcohol taste has dwindled significantly. All in all, a lovely arroqueno!
Dobadaan. Dobadaan and Mexicano are synonymous (same varietal of Agave rhodacantha, just a different name). I believe the term “dobadaan” was popularized by Jonathan Barbeiri, founder of Pierde Almas. He told me that he found dobadaan was an old colloquial term for mexicano and it resonated with him, so he used it. The Marca Negra Dobadaan, clocking in at 48%, is really wonderful. It is not as fruity on the nose as the arroqueno, but still coaxes you in. The taste is full of ripe banana, and it also brings in spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It is really good and I could drink this all day (at least until I pass out).
Tobala. The tobala is called the King of Mezcal by many because of its rarity and robust flavor. While they grow wild, they are also being routinely cultivated these days, making them less
Cultivating tobalas at a Oaxacan nursery

rare. They may not taste exactly the same, but directionally so. And if this allows us to drink more great mezcal, I am all for it. This Marca Negra is made from wild tobala and tips the ABV-scales at 52%. Wow! I can only think of one or two bottles in the US that have a higher ABV. The high ABV can be challenging on the palate because the alcohol can overpower everything else that is going on. In this case, while present, the high ABV does not overwhelm the mezcal and leaves plenty of room for the tropical fruit flavors to flourish. But like my original tasting of the arroqueno, perhaps I need to let this mellow in the dark because I do get a bit of medicinal alcohol on the finish. All in all, this tobala works but I suspect I might enjoy it more if the ABV were below 50…
Ensamble. This is a 47% ABV blend of espadin, and 2 Agave karwinski varietals, bicuixe and madrecuixe. And this works big time! On the nose I get chocolate and oddly, something really candy-like, as in bubble gum or cotton candy. Really rich and sweet with a bit of chocolate thrown in to balance out the super sweet aroma. Smells yummy. And the taste follows in a harmonious fashion with that light bubble gum sweetness and black pepper to bring it down. It also has a long lovely finish that lingers brilliantly on the palate. Great stuff!
Espadin. As you know, most mezcals are made from Agave angustifolia, varietal espadin, so they are quite common. At 51% ABV this is stronger than most but the alcohol does not overpower the spirit. It has a nice, soft perfume on the nose. On the palate I find nice notes of roasted agave and an elegant, medium finish. Like most espadins, and their accompanying price points, this will work great in a cocktail and you can enjoy it neat as well.

Now that was a fun tasting! Marca Negra has a really nice line of mezcals. They certainly do not shy away from bringin’ the pain with the high ABV offerings. But as I look across the 5, the two highest ABV’s were my least favorites – these are the tobala and the espadin. I preferred the arroqueno, dobadaan, and the ensemble, which are all below 50% ABV. While I almost always favor the arroquenos in such a lineup, in this case I think I would make the ensemble my number one draft choice. It is wonderfully balanced and just oh so drinkable.

But as usual when I am tasting great stuff, I am splitting hairs – and these are all excellent mezcals. And everybody’s palate is of course different. And my own palate changes based on so many factors – time of day, what I am eating, who I am with, how MY BOOK is selling. You know, all those important things!

So if you have not tried the Mezcal Marca Negra offerings, now is the time. Enjoy and as always, drink mezcal!

ADDENDUM TO THIS POST

After I published this post, the brand owner Pedro, came back to me with a few interesting comments. First:

“Something that’s relevant to the piece you just wrote is that we go the extra mile to bring to market mezcal that is distilled to suit the tastes of the makers and the communities where it originated. We are not trying to speculate on what the greater market would embrace. So that is why the last batch of our tobalá is so rich in alcohol content – Jorge and family, that’s how they like it. Same as our espadín, which is also from San Luis del Rio. Abel, the master distiller, recently got married and at his wedding he gave exactly the same mezcal that was bottled in the current batch (they like their mezcal at 50%-51%). You can’t get more authentic than that.”

Pedro! I love this. Thank you for educating us on why Marca Negra tastes like it does. This also speaks to the cultural roots of mezcal – it has been made for centuries for the communities in which it is produced. They are not solving for the equation of what some guy in New York likes. They are making what they have always made and have confidence that others will want to share their world. I embrace the differences across brands and varietals as it is core to what mezcal is all about. Of course I prefer some more than others – we all do.

Pedro also commented on why they changed the name from Mano Negra to Marca Negra:

“In your piece you mention the fact that first off we were Mano Negra which is absolutely right. However, there weren’t really issues with registration in the US but there could have been in the future since there is a wine that’s called Black Hands, and according to our lawyer (John: it’s always the lawyers isn’t it?) our registration could’ve been contested. Then, a few days after we learned about that potential liability, something else came up: a maestro producer asked me why we had named our mezcal Mano Negra since we were all about bringing the truest, most honest product. You see, ‘mano negra’ is also an expression that denotes that something is fraudulent, that something has been rigged as an election would be, in which case you would say “there was mano negra in that election”. That did it. Marca Negra was the new name.”

Cool. I like a bit of the back story. Thanks Pedro.

How Much Mezcal Can One Bring Back From Oaxaca?

Mezcal PhD / January 24, 2015

This is a public service post. I am not an airline employee. I do not work for US Customs. I have not searched with an unrelenting fervor into all the rules and regulations on bringing bottles of booze back into the US from abroad. But I know enough to be dangerous and have several bottle-laden trips behind me so I have a bit of experience. Experience does NOT equal expertise so please do not take this as gospel.

When I post a bunch of bottle shots after a trip to Oaxaca, I frequently get asked how I was able to bring back that much mezcal (and I get asked even more frequently if I will share!). So here is a quick take on the way I see it.

What the Airlines Say

I think this is the trickiest piece of the puzzle, because it turns out that the airlines are more restrictive than US Customs. Living in NYC, I usually fly United through Houston to Oaxaca. Going through Houston gives me the added benefit of a stop at Papasito’s in the Houston airport – it’s mandatory if you have time! Looking into the United Airlines baggage policy, you will find that you can bring in 5 liters per person. 5 liters is equal to 6.67 typically sized bottles of 750 ml each. In other words, it rounds down to 6 bottles per person. That’s it. That’s their policy. 6 bottles. But I just brought back about 4 times that! How?

Well, the good news is that it does not appear to be the United Airlines employees’ responsibility to enforce that – at least not in Oaxaca. I had two suitcases this last trip – one was very heavy and one less so. The max limit on weight per bag is 23 Kilos, about 50 pounds. The counter agents told me they can give you leeway up to 25 kilos, or 55 pounds. Above that, you will pay a lot for excess weight (about $100 for every 5 lb overage). I was right at the 25 kilo leeway zone on one, and the other was probably 40 lbs. Two dense bags of 55 and 40 pounds is a lot of luggage for one person so I expected a few questions. To my now warmed mezcal heart, there were none! They checked the bags and on I went.

Now if someone from United Airlines is reading this, let’s not make a big deal out of it. The 5 liter limit seems arbitrary and unnecessary in the first place. If there is a reason, please let us know. We are not breaking any laws, US Customs or otherwise. The materials are not hazardous (unless CONSUMED in vast quantities). We are not bringing these back for commercial purposes. We are just mezcal geeks who love this shit and want to bring back as much of the stuff as possible that we cannot get in the US. That’s it. Nothing untoward.

That all said, I don’t think you want to be bragging to the people at the ticket counter about how much mezcal you scored! And my experience was with United. My friends Tom and Brenda recently came back from Oaxaca on AeroMexico and they got nailed. They were told they could only check 6 bottles PER BAG, and they actually had to give up 5 bottles. Imagine their pain! They had already checked the bags and they came and found them at the gate and told them them about the 6 per bag limit. Different from United Airlines where their website says 6 bottles PER PERSON. But United also did not come track me down at the gate, and one of my bags probably had 12 bottles of 750 ml (again, they never asked me about the weighty contents).

A mezcalero who regularly brings large quantities of mezcal to the US for tradeshows, etc told me that he is occasionally asked how many bottles he has in his very heavy luggage, and his response is always “4 bottles”. That’s his story and he is sticking with it. And it works. They don’t question it.

Tom and Brenda Still Came Out Pretty Well — **Tom and Brenda Still Made Out Pretty Well**

Bottom line: different airlines have different policies and different levels of enforcement. A number of us have had different experiences with different airlines so your experience may vary.

What US Customs Says

Most people think they can only bring back 1 or 2 bottles through US Customs. Not true. From the US Customs and Border Protection website:

“There is no federal limit on the amount of alcohol a traveler may import into the U.S. for personal use, however, large quantities might raise the suspicion that the importation is for commercial purposes, and a CBP officer could require the importer to obtain an Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) import license (which is required for all commercial importations) before releasing it. A general rule of thumb is that 1 case of alcohol is a personal use quantity – although travelers are still subject to state restrictions which may allow less.”

So you can bring back as much as you want as long as you declare it! The only catch is you are likely to have to pay tax above the 1 bottle limit. But note the “state restrictions” comment. I have only come through customs in Houston and if you go to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission website, it says you can only bring in 1 gallon of distilled spirits. It seems this is not being enforced by the US Customs people in Houston. Right on my people! I have not looked into what other states say and have no idea if they enforce any limits. Maybe you know?

When I came through recently they asked me no questions and I went right through. My buddy Mario was pulled over and had a few less bottles than me (he could not keep up!) and he paid a total tax of $19. That’s it. No issue with the quantity he had.

So it appears US Customs has no issue with quantity as long as you will pay the tax (again with the caveat that some US states may enforce things differently).

Packing Tips

The final piece of this public service announcement contains a few packing tips:

Take an empty suitcase. If you are really planning on loading up, it’s a pretty good idea to take an empty suitcase down there filled with packing tape, bubble wrap and WINE SKINS.
Buy Wine Skins. These things are fantastic! You can buy them at the Container Store or Amazon. They are wine-bottle shaped bubble wraps – sleak and compact yet highly protective. They will handle almost any-shaped mezcal bottle that you come across. The bubble wrap and packing tape are handy if you run out of Wine Skins or for smaller bottles.
Saran Wrap your bags. When you are leaving, at the Oaxaca airport, there is a guy there with one of those Saran Wrap machines (not sure what else to call it) where they wrap your bag about 30 times with a thin plastic cellophane. As your bag is likely to be heavy, this will help the structural integrity of the bag and keep everything nice and tight. It costs about $15 per bag, but I think it is a good investment.

I am sure I am forgetting a few other things, but for now, that’s all I’ve got. Remember this is based on a handful of experiences and is not gospel. So please no nasty hate mail if you follow this advice and you have to give up bottles. But again, this is all perfectly legal and not even perfectly legal with a wink of an eye. The US government says you can bring back as much as you want. So try it, or if you have an experience to share, reply to this post. Good luck in your mezcal adventures, and as always, drink mezcal!

New Mezcal Regulations Are Brewing…..err…Distilling

Mezcal PhD / December 17, 2014

05crushing Many people in and around the mezcal world know that “change is a comin'” to the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-070-SCFI-1994, which is the law that governs the application of Mezcals’ Denomination of Origin – the rules and regulations of mezcal production, certification, classification, regions, labeling and everything else. The law was passed in 1994, and while it set mezcal on a path to legitimization, it was controversial from the start.

One main point of consternation was that this law closely mirrored the tequila NOM, and many producers and stakeholders recognized from the beginning that this was a poor place to start given that mezcal is different (and way better!) from tequila in so many fundamental ways. But it was a starting point, and I would argue that, while flawed, mezcal has benefitted tremendously from regulation.

The mezcal world is different from where it was in 1994. For example, I recently met someone who had actually heard of it! Wahoo! We are making progress and the industry is energizing in the right direction to create a mezcal regulatory framework that is separate and distinct from tequila, while also recognizing the unique characteristics and history of mezcal.

With that quick backdrop, the other night I attended a small gathering (maybe 15 people) at Salon Hecho where Juan Lozoya, the secretary of COMERCAM (now CRM) was going to discuss the proposed changes to the NOM. But Juan’s flight was delayed so Danny Mena, owner of Salon Hecho as well the fine brand Mezcales de Leyenda, opted to pinch hit for Juan. Danny has been very involved with the process and is well-versed on the proposed new NOM. He gave an excellent presentation and also noted comments from the audience of brand owners, importers, distributors, bartenders, and store owners, among others.

I will start with the proposed 3 new Categories for mezcal as these are the most important pieces to the new NOM. Keep in mind, today we just have one general category called Mezcal, which captures everything from industrial mezcals to small batch mezcals made in rural communities. In the current law and with this new proposal, a producer will still have to go through the certification process to put “mezcal” on the label, but now there will be 3 categories of mezcal. Here are the proposed Categories with the specifically allowed production techniques for each Category:

Three New Categories	Cooking	Grinding	Fermentation	Distillation
Mezcal	Pit ovens, elevated stone ovens, and autoclaves – diffuser use under review	Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, trapiche, shredder or series of mills	Wood, masonry or stainless steel tanks	Stills, continuous stills, columns stills made of copper or steel
Artisanal Mezcal	Pit ovens or elevated stone ovens	Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, mallets, trapiche, or shredder	Wood, clay or masonry tanks, animal skins, hollows in stone, earth or tree trunks, and process may use maguey fibers	Direct fire on copper stills or clay pots and coils made of clay, wood, copper, or stainless steel, and process may include maguey fibers
Ancestral Mezcal	Pit ovens only	Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, or mallets	Wood, clay or masonry tanks, animal skins, hollows in stone, earth or tree trunks, and process must use maguey fibers	Direct fire on clay pots and coils made clay or wood, and process must include maguey fibers

In short, the key points are:

“Mezcal” Category: you can use autoclaves (pressure cookers), shredders, stainless steel fermentation, and column still distillation. This basically allows industrial production to continue for unnamed brands (that begin with the last letter of the alphabet). One key point is that a diffuser can no longer be used in this Category (or any other) for mezcal production.
“Artisanal Mezcal” Category: no autoclaves, shredders still OK, no stainless steel fermentation, but single batch distillation only in clay pots or copper stills.
“Ancestral Mezcal” Category: pit ovens only, no shredders, no stainless steel fermentation and must use maguey fibers, and only clay pot distillation where maguey fibers must be used.

So what does this all mean? Well, the industrial boys fought hard to protect their investments in industrial processes, and they had some success. The ability to use diffusers is still desired by the industrial producers, and there are conflicting views as to whether they will be allowed to or not. Though their use is unlikely to be allowed in the current way, under one proposal diffusers may still be allowed if the agave is cooked first. Others have said they should not be allowed at all. Something to keep an eye.

Either, some amount of industrial production is likely to persist in mezcal. They can still call it “Mezcal” despite significant opposition and the push for an “Industrial” Category (which did not happen). The only meaningful and practical difference between Artisanal and Ancestral is that Ancestral must use clay pot stills. In today’s reality, most of the premium mezcals that you drink and read about here, are Artisanal under this definition and they use the same process as Ancestral except most distill in copper stills.

Assuming these changes actually go through, Artisanal Mezcal labels will dominate the U.S. market because these are the premium mezcals that are already here. Ancestral Mezcal will be less frequent though some producers may invest in this type of production because they can likely command a premium price. The investment is really one of time because clay pots are not expensive, but the batches are small so the production process is longer. And the brands that currently are somewhat or completely industrialized will have the simple Mezcal label. Will the average consumer actually know the difference? I doubt it. That’s why I struggle with the whole thing. The mezcal geeks (present company included) understand all this, but does it help the mezcal category? The understanding of what mezcal is? I’m not so sure.

I think the motivation was largely around protecting the old ways of production – techniques handed down from generation to generation. Keeping mezcal pure. Small batch. Hand crafted. But is this defeated by having a “Mezcal” category that allows for autoclaves, stainless steel fermentation tanks, and column stills? It may be. Because I don’t think the average consumer will really appreciate the differences, or notice the labeling, between these categories – they simply look for “Mezcal” on the label. Of course, I hope I am wrong.

This stuff has been, and is being, debated by sharper agave minds than mine, but despite my misgivings, it is a step in the right direction for mezcal. We are not going backward here. And I know the premium brands, producers and mezcal aficionados will work hard to educate the influencers on the front lines (the bartenders, store owners, media, etc), so maybe it will work more than I expect. But either way, while not perfect, this is a good move for mezcal. And I stress, this proposal is not fully baked and is likely to undergo further revisions.

Let me touch on a few other points in the proposed regs: DSC_0183_crop

They have defined Mezcal as: ” Mexican alcoholic beverage, 100% maguey, obtained by means of the distillation of juices fermented with Mexican yeasts, whether spontaneous or cultivated, and juices that have been extracted from the mature cooked heads of magueys harvested within the territory included in the Denomination of Origin, Mezcal.”
This definition eliminates the Type I (100% agave) and Type II (80% agave) distinctions that were in the original law. Now mezcal must be 100% agave. This is practical as well because the Type II category was little used.
Any species of agave can be used as long as it was grown in the Denomination of Origin areas. This is great because it recognizes that mezcal can be made with any type of agave which has enough sugars to produce alcohol.
Now there are four Classes of mezcal: White, Matured in Glass, Reposado, and Anejo. So it appears the term “joven” is replaced by “white”, or blanco. And Matured in Glass is a new class though it is not very common.
Mezcal can be flavored with additives of up to 5% of volume including; insects, fruit, herbs, honey, coloring agents (hmmm..), and meat, among others.
Mezcal can be distilled with similar additives – thus allowing for pechugas and creativity.
ABV must be from 36% to 55%. Same as the current NOM.
Label must include the Category, the Class, the species of agave, and length of aging, among other things. Previously the agave species was not required.
Export in bulk form is prohibited. So you cannot bottle in the U.S. for example as tequila permits.

There are more details in the proposal, but I think these are the most relevant. Something else that is surprising is that they think this law could be enacted in the first half of 2015! That would be impressive, but I’ll take the over.

There were some other interesting points that I took away from the presentation:

COMERCAM has changed their name to CRM, Consejo Regulador del Mezcal. And oh man, I just wrote a 200 page book on mezcal that uses the term “COMERCAM” about 50 times! But I get it – they are conforming the naming convention of the regulator with the tequila regulatory body, Consejo Regulador del Tequila, or CRT. (This is a bit of irony in that they are trying hard to move away from tequila, yet at the same time changing the name to look like tequila!).
CRM is doing some internal streamlining to ease the pain of certification for producers – they are trying to make it easier and to eliminate some of the red tape.
CRM’s goal is for mezcal to be the premium white spirit in the world. Lofty goals indeed when you consider that tequila outsells mezcal by more than 100 to 1. Not to mention rum and vodka. But over 20+ years, maybe the cream will rise to the top. I am the eternal mezcal optimist!
Interestingly, Danny made the point that the growing regions of mezcal are about 5 times larger than that of tequila and even larger still than other denomination of origin regions like Cognac, for example. Again, over the long term, if utilized thoughtfully, the land resource for mezcal suggests the potential for becoming the premier premium spirit.

Clayton Szczech, from Experience Mezcal, has been following this closely and is providing a great service to the mezcal community by keeping us informed. Some of this article is pulled from his work. You can read more on his blog if you are interested. So thank you Clayton.

All in all, it was an informative meeting, and as I expressed earlier, this proposal is a step forward for mezcal. Will this legislation be the lynchpin that propels mezcal to new heights? Your guess is as good as mine, so while we all contemplate, let’s simply drink mezcal! Happy Holidays everyone.

P.S. I am back in Oaxaca in mid-January – hope to see you there!

Mezcal Holidays Gifts!

Mezcal PhD / November 27, 2014

Do you have loved ones who are mezcal-crazed? Or maybe you are the mezcal-crazed one (we are therefore destined to be friends) and you want to introduce and share your passion with the up-and-comers or uneducated? Well, there is no better way to celebrate the holidays than to give or receive some cool mezcal swag!

So I have scoured the mezcal universe to find a few tidings of agave joy that may make this holiday season a mezcal-y one to remember! Without further ado, here are a few ideas:

Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal! A Complete Guide from Agave to Zapotec

Why not start with something a little self-serving…my book! Yes, this is the book I wrote, published in the summer of 2014. While I would give it glowing reviews, don’t listen to me. Check out the reviews on Amazon – 18 reviews and all 5 stars! Exciting stuff for me. The book takes you through the history of mezcal, the ancient production process still utilized today, the types of agave used to make mezcal, the range of taste profiles driven by the agave varietals, a walk-through of all the brands found in the U.S., a crazy good cocktail section and much more! So if you are looking for a modestly priced (about $30 on Amazon) mezcal gift, this is a good place to start.

Del Maguey Copita

These are traditional small clay cups for drinking mezcal. The wide rim and shallow depth allow the aromas of a mezcal to flow freely and not concentrate the alcohol on the nose as many narrow mouthed glasses do. Previously, these things have been impossible to find in the U.S. But finally, Del Maguey started importing and selling them through Cocktail Kingdom, and you can now buy them. You can get 12 of them for $17.95! Bargain.

Mezcalistas T-Shirts

My friends at Mezcalistas have a fantastic blog. As I tell them, they frequently make me jealous with their brilliant prose and in-depth analysis of the Mezcalista T-shirt mezcal world. Plus, they are really nice people that you would be happy to drink mezcal with anytime! So in addition to fine writing, they also sell some cool, funky, mezcal-y T-shirts thru Etsy for $20. A modest investment for sure and a great gift! Here is a shot of one of the three prints.

Malfatti Sipping Glasses

In Italian, malfatti means “mis-shapen”. In this case, they are wonderfully imperfect. They are elegant, impossibly light, and calling them gorgeous is an understatement. They are “malfatti” because they are individually hand-blown and each one is slightly different from the next. I have bought too many to count over the years as gifts for Christmas, birthdays, weddings, and for simply no reason at all. At $28 a glass, they are a special gift for someone and worth every penny. They are about 3 inches high and probably hold about 5 ounces of liquid. So they are perfect for a nice 2oz pour of your favorite mezcal. And the mouth of the glass is wide enough that the alcohol does not overpower you on the nose. They are quite strong too as they are made from borosilicate glass which you can read about HERE. All this is done by the amazing people at Ten Willow Studio.

Sal de Gusano

As many of you know, a traditional way to drink mezcal is with orange slices and sal de gusano, or “worm salt”. You dip a slice of orange into the sal de gusano in between sips of mezcal to cleanse the palate. It is delicious, refreshing, and spicy all at the same time. The salt is made from salt, chili spices and crushed agave larvae. I know it sounds bad, but trust me, it’s great! It basically tastes like spicy salt. Until recently, it was difficult to come by in the U.S., but now you can buy it HERE from Gran Mitla for about $14. I am not sure I should be promoting the folks at Gran Mitla since in the past they promised to send me samples, which they never did! But I am all about good karma, and hey, there are worse things than not receiving salt in the mail!

Mezcal Premium Sampler – Package 1

It is incredibly difficult to pick just 3 bottles from all of the great brands and varietals that are available. But I know people are looking for some guidance, so much so that I did a whole post on this subject which you can view HERE. But if you are looking to buy a few bottles as an awesome gift, and don’t want to break the bank, here are 3 premium mezcals that are quite different from each other, yet are all made from agave espadin, and are great for sipping or cocktails. We have Wahaka Espadin ($34), Ilegal Joven ($47) and Marca Negra Espadin ($52). As I said, it is virtually impossible to choose just 3, but all 3 are well worth their weight in mezcal. All 3 are available from DrinkUpNY. Total damage for all is $133. In choosing these I also tried to stay with one website to limit shipping costs for you – so that was another constraint in picking these bottles.

Mezcal Premium Sampler – Package 2

Vago OK, prices are not that much higher here but I am bringing in different offerings. Again, very difficult choices here but I tried to stay in the mid-range of price (less than $75 a bottle) while still choosing amazing mezcals. We have Mezcal Vago Ensemble de Barro ($70), El Silencio Joven ($50), and Ocho Cientos Sotol ($43). The Vago and Silencio are yummy ensembles and the Ocho is a great sotol which tastes very much like a great mezcal. Total damage here is $163 and they can be purchased at K&L Wines.

Mezcal Premium Sampler – Package 3

PA Conejo Arroqueno260 Let’s get crazy. Let’s get nuts. Here are a few super-premium bottles. While they have the prices to show it, they also have the quality as well. In fact, they are all unbelievable! We have Del Maguey Arroqueno ($100), which won my arroqueno throw down, El Jolgorio Mexicano ($120), and the amazing Pierde Almas Conejo ($190). The stunning total cost here is $410 and they are all available at Hi-Time Wine Cellars.

These 3 sample packs are tricky because there are many excellent mezcals as I said. You can feel free to mix and match of course but each is available at the websites mentioned. You have to select them individually at these websites since they have not figured out how cool it would be to have the “Mezcal PhD Premium Package” as an offering. As the shipping costs can get high, it is always better to buy multiple bottles at the same time.

Ilegal Anejo Special Bottling

illegal-mezcal-1 This is a special bottling by Ilegal – only 180 bottles – that they created for Esquire magazine. It is a blend of 80% mezcal anejo that’s been aged in American oak for one year and 20% mezcal anejo aged in French oak for two years. I had the pleasure of trying this amazing anejo a few weeks ago and it was off the charts, as it should be for $140 – worth every penny. I have already bought several for Christmas gifts (and a few for myself perhaps…). Get it while you can.

Mezcal’s Club

Here is another cool idea. Get your special person a subscription to the Mezcal’s Club, which Mezcals Club sends out quarterly care packs of lovely mezcals, all of which they say you cannot buy in the U.S. While their low price point for a regular membership clocks in at a hefty $395, you are getting 3 carefully selected bottles and you don’t have to go to Mexico to get them! According to the folks at Mezcal Club, the mezcal value is around $200 and the shipping is around $150. Their current membership drive expires December 1, but if you miss this slot, they will be reoffering new memberships this summer – so you can always give the gift of a forward membership if you miss this one.

Experience Mezcal Tours

ExperienceMezcalLogoWeb This is another uber idea for that very special person on your list – an exclusive mezcal tour in Oaxaca. The man behind these tours is Clayton Szczech, an American living in Mexico who is as thoughtful and passionate about mezcal as it gets. The tour includes unique and private palenque (distillery) tours, tastings, and amazing food among other things. Think of this as a complete mezcal immersion! Clayton has been organizing these tours for years, and having met him on several occassions, I have no doubt that this is a first class operation and an amazing experiece. You can read more about it on his site but the spring 2015 dates are March 16-19 and April 26-29. Pricing is on his website but it is around $1,000 a person. I am sure it is worth every penny, and I wish I could join you!

Other Ideas? Let Me Know?

These are just a handful of ideas. I would love it if I knew of other special things that other brands are doing for the holidays – special products, special bottlings, or whatever! Send me an email at [email protected] and I will add it to this post. Or if you are simply a mezcal aficionado and have other ideas that fit in, send it my way! In the meantime, have a great holiday season and drink mezcal!

A Mezcal Quest: El Amor del Diablo Mezcal

Mezcal PhD / October 17, 2014

Over the past few months I have been trading emails with Rachel Glueck. She and her husband are living the dream – granted it is not a well-funded dream, but a dream nevertheless. So I am trying to help them out a bit. A friend in need is a friend in need of mezcal (and maybe a little cash in this case). Rachel and her husband Noel, are traveling Mexico in search of brilliant, ultra-small batch and undiscovered mezcals with the goal to start importing some of these under their own label, El Amor del Diablo Mezcal (translated as “The Devil’s Love”). But I am ahead of myself. Who are Rachel and Noel?

El Amor Diablo Their story is an old but familiar tale: Boy is Tezcatlipoca dancer. Girl sails the Caribbean in homemade boat. Girl meets boy at Aztec sweat lodge. Boy and girl do mezcal body shots. Girl and boy fall in love. Common but classic.

So what are these love birds doing? Well, Noel has mezcal blood running through his veins as both his father and grandfather were mezcaleros. And Rachel, well as far as I can tell, she is up for anything. So they are starting a brand and to do so they are crowd funding their research and start-up expenses. They are focused on supporting mezcaleros who only produce small-batch mezcals and value sustainability. I have no doubt that they are uncovering hidden gems deep in the heart of Mexico.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of small batch producers in Mexico who have been making mezcal for generations. They have great pride in their products yet have little ability to sell their fine mezcals beyond their immediate communities. This is where El Amor Diablo comes in. They cannot help them all, but even if they help a few, that is a worthy cause, and we as consumers will be happy they have made their way to the U.S.

I give Rachel and Noel a ton of credit for their passion, resourcefulness and entrepreneurial spirit. They are really doing this on a shoestring – in fact, more like a tiny little piece of thread. They are traveling light, sleeping under the stars, eating ramen, and generally using their limited funds very wisely.

If you are inspired at all and want to contribute you can do that HERE. I did. And they have some really cool swag as well depending on the level of support you provide. Contributions start as low as $10. Me? I favor the $125 contribution because you get a whole host of items including the amazing book Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal!. Oh yeah I remember now, I wrote that!

So that is about it. It is a cool story and they are nice people trying to do something to help small producers. And I know any support you provide them will be greatly appreciated! In the meantime, drink mezcal!

P.S. I almost entitled this post “Save Rachel’s Purse!” They are so frugal (to their credit) that Rachel is trying to sell her purse for about $200 to pay for the registration of their business name. We cannot let that happen. God save the purse!

Arroqueño Travels….

Mezcal PhD / September 18, 2014

I am just back from an unbelievable Mezcal Fest (Mezcal: Mexico in a Bottle) that was put on this weekend in San Francisco by my friends at Mezcalistas. They are likely to make this an annual event so pay attention next year and do what you have to do to get there! It was of the finest collection of mezcals you will ever see (unless you come to my apartment!) with most of the top brands and many many offerings that can only be found in Mexico. The event has me dreaming of wild agaves and beautiful mezcals with luscious flavors swirling down my throat. So it seems appropriate to put up this post on arroqueños, which has been lingering in my draft file for too long!

If you are a regular reader of this blog or have read my book Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal!, you are likely aware of the ongoing lovefest I have with mezcals made from Agave americana var. oaxacensis, sub-varietal arroqueño (say that ten times fast!). Or simply known as an arroqueño. Arroqueños are HUGE agaves and known to be the genetic mother of the Agave espadin (A. angustifolia), the most common type of agave from which mezcal is made.

So arroqueño is related to espadin and the taste profile is consistent with their respective genetics. However, my palate finds an arroqueño to be like a turbo-charged version of an espadin – powerful fruit and roasted agave surging upfront with great viscosity and a long lovely finish. And unlike some other wild agave varietals, an arroqueño has nothing polarizing in the flavor. My golf analogy would be that an arroqueño is a beautiful 325 yard drive right down the middle of the fairway – while I am not a golfer, that is one long drive. While it is smack down the middle, an arroqueño surpasses almost all others. You taste a great arroqueño and you instantly understand why people like me are nuts about mezcal (Me? Nuts about mezcal? Well OK, a tiny bit…).

As you may guess, I search out every bottle and brand of arroqueño I can find, and happily that are now several brands available in the U.S. Also, I have collected a few others in my travels that cannot yet be found stateside. So as I was surveying my mezcal collection, I realized that I now have eight unique bottles of arroqueño. What a gift from the agave gods! Here is what I have:

Mezcalero Release #9
Mezcal Vago
El Jolgorio
Del Maguey
Siete Misterios
Nizabisahio
Destileria Tlacolula, Special Bottling
MarcaNegra (a late addition to the post)

So I’ve been drinking these with my friends and fellow mezcal junkies, and also shipping multiple vials back and forth (don’t tell the Feds!) with my friend Mario who lives on the West Coast to share impressions on this handful of great mezcals. But due to random comings and goings of my friends, and varied acquisition times of bottles, we were unfortunately unable to do a full scale side-by-side tasting of these arroqueños. Still, some favorites emerged from our machinations and what follows is a collection of our opinions.

Key contributors were my friend John who has a mezcal palate that far exceeds mine (not hard to do) so he is a real asset to have around a bottle of mezcal – which he always seems to have with him! And my afore mentioned friend Mario, who if you read my book, you would know has undergone a Faceoff-like transformation from mezcal doubter to mezcal evangelist (and who’s with me on the Faceoff reference??!!).

A few comments on the bottles. Of the eight listed, five can be found in the U.S.: Mezcalero, Vago, Jolgorio, Del Maguey, and MarcaNegra. You probably have to buy them online unless you have a very good local liquor store. On Mezcalero, all other Mezcalero releases (two through eight – I never did see Release #1 and am not sure it ever existed) are ensembles and most are excellent. So I was psyched when Release #9 came out as a single expression arroqueño. Siete Misterios was the first arroqueño available in the U.S. and it wows, but sadly can no longer be found – let’s hope it does a Lebron and returns to Cleveland….er….uh….the U.S. MarcaNegra has just released three new offerings to complement their fine espadin and tobala – they now have this arroqueño, a dobadan, and a yummy ensemble.

Vago and Jolgorio are relative newcomers to the scene (both arrived in 2013) and they each have several amazing mezcals. You see the Nizabisahio brand regularly in the Oaxaca area and it means “spiritual water of kindness” in Zapotec….very calming. And I obtained a specially bottled arroqueño at the Destileria Tlacolula which is where Ilegal is produced. The producer had made a batch of mezcal with arroqueños and he was not sure what he was going to do with it. I thought giving a bottle to me was a great idea! OK, I paid for it, and gladly.

**Destileria Tlacolula (in my fancy bottle), Jolgorio, Siete Misterios, and Vago**

That all said, here are our collective impressions.

Mezcalero Release #9. It is fruit-forward as I find most arroqueños to be, though this one seemed to have a bit more smoke than we would like – overpowering the flavor a tad. Also, I get a bit more alcohol here than some of the others though it is has a lower ABV than most of these. My friend John found it to be “rougher” which could be due to the perceived stronger presence of alcohol. And he also tasted a bit of tar, which fortunately was absent for me.
Mezcal Vago. Decidedly less fruit forward than the rest of the group, and by far the most complex. I find most of the Mezcal Vago line to be fairly complex and inconsistently wonderful with the rest of the mezcal world. Trust me, that’s a compliment. Here, the roasted agave and earthiness jump out more so than the fruit, and the finish has a bit of alcohol. Overall, it feels dark: dark fruit, brown sugar, cooked agave, ash. John found it to be “alive” and changing with each sip. No doubt this is a great mezcal, and I will drink it happily, but I would never guess it is an arroqueño. It is truly a mezcal lover’s mezcal due to its deep complexity with a bit of roughness.
El Jolgorio. On the nose, this is rich with the smell of ripe bananas. For me, it screams bananas but my friends did not find this as pronounced as I did. I can literally smell it from three feet away. The fruitiness carries over to the palate with full citrus. I get a bit of alcohol on the finish, but man is this a great arroqueño, and a great mezcal in general. At the time we did the tasting, I only had a sample bottle, but it is so good, I now have the big boy (which can run $150+ depending on where you buy it).
Del Maguey. For me, Del Maguey keeps it right down the middle – and gloriously at that. This is from their Vino de Mezcal series – they have a release of a limited batch varietal and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Their arroqueño is the quintessential arroqueño – fruit forward with roasted agave, citrus, a bit of smoke, and a velvety texture with a great finish. Soooo good.
Siete Misterios. This is my first arroqueño love so it will be hard to knock it off the top of the mountain. Just like in sports, you are still the champion until someone beats you. And while I am not certain it is still the champ, it’s really good. Siete has a wine-like viscosity – smooth and creamy. It bursts with fruitiness upfront with a bit of heat, yet it is floral as well. Floral and heat are not usually found together in a mezcal, and it works very well here. It has a little more earthiness to it than the others in the tasting and finishes cleanly. That said, this was a fresh bottle of Siete (having gone through many others previously), and maybe my memory is faulty, but this seemed a step below previous bottles. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm whether they are different lots. Either way, it is really good.
Nizabisahio, Del Maguey, MarcaNegra, and Mezcalero

Nizabisahio. This is a very interesting mezcal. It is quite herbal, both on the nose and on the tongue. It has a bit of fruit and roasted agave but that herbal quality is ever present. When I taste herbal, I think tepeztate. So to me, this is closer to an arroqueño and tepeztate blend than a pure arroqueno. None of us were very interested in this. It is OK, but like the Vago, I would never guess that it is an arroqueño, and it is not in the Vago’s league as a mezcal.
Destileria Tlacolula. As I mentioned, this is from the producer of Ilegal who makes a lovely, light smoke, approachable espadin. I find that this arroqueño follows that pattern. It does not overpower you with its fruitiness or smoke. We found it to be lightly floral with hints of butterscotch. It is very well-balanced, yet has that robustness that I love in an arroqueño.

Mezcal MarcaNegra. This bottle arrived long after this post was mostly finished (yet still unpublished), so I was the only one to try to it. The nose is brilliant – bursting with fresh fruit of citrus, mango,, and banana! My mouth was watering before my first taste. It is a classic arroqueño in both smell and taste – robust and fruity and yummy. At almost 49% ABV I did get a bit of alcohol on the finish, which was not as elegant as the body. But overall, really excellent.

So where does that leave us? Well, the two underperformers were the Mezcalero and Nizabisahio. I was the only one who tried the Niza and I would put it at the bottom of the list, though let’s be clear it is still a fine mezcal just not as good as the rest. The Mezcalero was good but both John and Mario had it at the bottom of their final list (they each only tried four of the eight). But to tell you how good all of these are, Mario initially thought the Mezcalero was one of the best, but once revisited, he moved it down. The things you taste in a mezcal change based on who you are drinking with, the time of day, what you are eating, and many other factors. There are few absolutes so I always try to revisit bottles even if my initial impressions were not favorable.

The Vago was John’s top choice (among his four of Vago, Tlacolula, Siete and Mezcalero) with the Tlacolula a close second. As I said he is a true mezcal lover and this is made for someone like him. Mario found the Vago to be excellent but he was looking for more true arroqueño, which is not the strength of this bottle. Me? I love it. It is dark and mysterious and wonderfully complex as described above, but I would never guess it is an arroqueño.

The Jolgorio is outstanding and clearly near the top. Mario found it to be the brightest mezcal he had ever tasted and speculated that the agaves are planted among a lot of citrus trees (Kaj?). Yet, his top pick remains the Siete. Perhaps like me, he holds a special place in his heart (or palate) for his first love, and the Siete arroqueño was in the U.S. before the others, so that positive bias is hard to shake. So he has the Siete at the top with the Jolgorio a close second.

My turn. The bottles in the top five are easy to choose, but ranking them is more challenging. In no particular order yet, Vago, Jolgorio, Tlacolula, Del Maguey, and MarcaNegra. You cannot go wrong with any of these five and don’t hesitate to spend your hard earned cash if you want an awesome mezcal. You will notice that sadly, Siete does not make the top five and has drifted away for me on a comparative basis. Still a great mezcal but these other five get the edge here.

I think for me, the Jolgorio and the Del Maguey are neck and neck for my favorite arroqueño. While I love the Vago, it is just not arroqueño-y enough! The Tlacolula has a bit too much alcohol on the finish so it falls back as does the MarcaNegra for similar reasons. Hmmm…..Jolgorio or Del Maguey……Del Maguey or Jolgorio? Caddyshack or Stripes? How can you choose??

In a photo finish I think I give the nod to the Del Maguey because in my mind it is exactly what an arroqueño should be: robust, fruity, smooth, light smoke and heat, velvety texture, and a lovely long roasted agave finish. The Jolgorio is right there as well, and I am really splitting hairs here with almost all of these great mezcals (I might set the Nizabisahio aside). As suggested, there are no mistakes among MarcaNegra, Del Maguey, Vago, Jolgorio, or Mezcalero (these are the five you can find in the U.S.). With a virtual certainty, I could go through round after round of tasting and reach different conclusions every time – they are all that good!

Arroqueños can take up to 30yrs to grow in the wild, though closer to 15yrs with some maintenance. So who knows what the future will hold with respect to their availability – like all agaves, the resource is not infinite. My recommendation is to buy them now because there is no guaranty you will find them in the future. You can tell your kids about them someday!!

That’s all for now and as always, drink mezcal!

Mezcal Starter Kit: Brands, Price Comparisons and More

Mezcal PhD / May 12, 2014

I get a lot of emails asking me where to start when it comes to buying a bottle of mezcal. Some are from people looking to dip their toes into the mezcal waters, and others are from people who already know they love mezcal but are looking for that price/value tradeoff. Also, many want to know where they can buy mezcal since it is not available at their local liquor store.

With that in mind I thought it would be useful to put together a list of brands, prices, and online liquor stores for your convenience. My book, Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal! has a complete list of every brand available in the U.S. Now this list by no means contains every brand you can find (I have another post on that too), and I stopped it at $75 because we are clearly getting past the entry level at that price. I focused on the brands that are the most commonly seen PREMIUM mezcals, so admittedly it is a bit subjective (but that’s what I do). For the price comparison, I chose six online sellers that I think have a combination of wide selection and good pricing, and they also happen to be where I buy a lot of mezcal.

I generally took the entry point for each brand, which is usually the joven. In a few cases, brands have a cocktail oriented version which is even more attractively priced and I included those as well. But if a brand has a reposado or other expressions for under $75, I did not include those. Maybe next time. Again, the focus is the brand’s entry point.

Here are my Mezcal Starter Kit Recommendations:

Brand	Andrews Wine Cellar	Binny’s	Old Town Liquor	Hi-Time Wines	K&L Wines	DrinkUpNY	Average Price
El Buho Mezcal	29.99	34.99				29.99	31.66
Wahaka Espadin		33.99	33.99	35.99	34.99	39.99	35.79
Del Maguey Vida		34.99		38.99	38.99	33.99	36.74
Fidencio Clasico Joven	33.99	44.99	39.99	35.99	34.99	34.99	37.49
Pierde Almas La Puritita	37.99	44.99		39.99			40.99
Don Amado Plata	39.99	44.99	38.99	40.99			41.24
Alipus San Andreas			43.00		39.99		41.50
Sombra Mezcal			49.99			36.99	43.49
Ilegal Mezcal Joven	42.99		44.99	41.99		46.99	44.24
Scorpion Silver		39.99	49.99				44.99
Mezcal Vago Espadin	45.99				49.99		47.99
Mezcales de Leyenda Oaxaca			48.99	45.99	49.99	51.99	49.24
Montelobos Mezcal		49.99		49.99			49.99
Delirio de Oaxaca Joven			54.99	47.99			51.49
Marca Negra Espadin					56.99	51.99	54.49
Los Amantes Joven		49.99	59.99	55.99	54.99		55.24
Los Nahuales Joven			58.99	58.99	59.99		59.32
Pierde Almas Espadin	65.99	69.99			59.99	68.99	66.24
Del Maguey Chichicapa	62.99		79.99		69.99	62.99	68.99
El Silencio Joven				70.99	69.99		70.49

I enjoyed putting this together because I learned a few things as well. A few observations:

There really are not a very large number of widely dispersed good mezcals. There are only twenty names on this list – so only twenty premium mezcals can be found at at least two places online. By comparison, if you did this with tequila, I am sure you would get well into the 100s of brands. That said, there are probably another 10-20 brands that are quite good but I could only find them at one place online.
You generally get what you pay for with mezcal. The brands at the top of the list with the lowest prices are geared toward cocktail consumption. Most of them I would sip in a pinch no problem, but if I really want a sipping mezcal I am moving into the $40+ price range.
I am not deeply familiar with every brand here. I have most of these bottles, and have tried them all, but a few I have tasted only sparingly.
There are some brands in the $30-$50 range which you will not find here even though they are readily available – names like Wild Shot and Zignum come readily to mind. They are not here because I don’t recommend them.
You also will not find cheaper brands like Monte Alban and Oro de Oaxaca here because I would not drink those either. If you are not willing to spend at least $30, you are not going to get a very good mezcal. If you have a different opinion, let me know!

A few brand specific comments:

Of the first five names on the list, I would give Wahaka Espadin the best marks for versatility because it works great in cocktails, but I also find it to be the best sipper of the five.
For another $10 or so Don Amado has a “Rustico”, which is an espadin joven and far better than their plata. I would spend the extra $10.
Alipus has four different versions – I think San Andreas is the best, and they are generally all priced the same. Last fall they came out with their Santa Ana Del Rio, and I was not very fond of it on one tasting.
Scorpion is a fine spirit but it lacks the smokiness that I love in mezcal as it is produced in above ground ovens. Still artisanally made, but a different taste profile if you like a smoky mezcal.
Ilegal is an excellent introductory mezcal as the smoke, while strongly present to the uninitiated mezcal drinker, is less pronounced than most other brands so it is more approachable.
Vago made a splash as a new brand in 2013 by bringing in excellent quality mezcals. They also have an “Elote” which has a roasted corn infusion for a few dollars more than the espadin. I cannot quite get the sweetness of the corn on my palate but it is a great mezcal.
Delirio is relatively unknown to me as I have only tried it once and it made an uninspiring impression. Admittedly, it needs more investigation. They are a west coast brand and I have never seen them in NYC.
Los Amantes is triple distilled so a very soft mezcal. This can be appealing to mezcal newbies.
Pierde Almas Espadin, while expensive, is worth every penny.
El Silencio, another 2013 newcomer, is pricey but also very good – it is an ensemble of three agaves (it does not say which on the bottle but I seem to recall espadin, tobasiche, and mexicano).

Of these online sellers, I use them all regularly depending on what I am buying. Andrews is great if you are buying many bottles because shipping is free with orders over $250.

So that’s it for now. I have been a bit quiet on the blog in recent months as I have been pouring my energy into a book. This is perhaps the first official mention of it (though I promise you will be bombarded in the future!). The book is “Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal! The Complete Guide from Agave to Zapotec”. I wrote it because I believe mezcal needs this book. It will be out in the next few months, and I am pretty sure it will not be a waste of your hard earned dollars. Until then, drink mezcal!

The Sustainability of Agave

Mezcal PhD / February 26, 2014

I have been wanting to write this post for awhile as a follow up to my Zignum post, but have been slow to get to it. My friends at Mezcalistas recently put up an excellent piece that touches on many economic issues that need to be addressed by the multitude of stakeholders in the mezcal world. Continuing the sustainability theme, I want to highlight the few examples I know of where brands and producers are taking positive steps on the sustainability of the important natural resources that go into mezcal: primarily agave, wood and water.

The most significant issue is the sustainability of the agave population. As has been discussed by many, agaves take anywhere from eight to thirty years to reach maturity. Agave espadin, the predominant agave used to make mezcal, matures in eight to twelve years. Obviously, this is unlike other agricultural products used to make spirits which can be planted, grown and harvested within a year – think grapes, wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, and sugarcane to name a few.

Agave does not have it this good, and therein lies a large problem. Crop management is paramount. I will update this post if I hear from other brands about some of the things they may be doing around this theme of sustainability. Here are a few that I am aware of:

Pierde Almas. In 2013, founder Jonathan Barbieri and a resolute group of about 20 others, planted over 1,000 baby tobalas in the mountains outside San Baltazar Chichicapan. This is a fantastic reforestation effort as tobalas are rare and do not produce much mezcal per plant as they are quite small even at maturity. I have heard it is an annual event, but I am not sure how many times they have done this so far. Jonathan?
Agaves Silvestres (yes, “Agaves” is meant to be plural). This is a project started by the guys from Wahaka Mezcal. They purchased land in Oaxaca to start a nursery for madrecuixe and tobala. Then they partnered with the local schools to foster an “Adopt an Agave” program. Each child adopts an agave, replants it in the wild when the agave is 3-4 years old, then Wahaka pays market prices for the agaves at maturity. The funds go to buy books and supplies for the local schools. Great idea!
El Buho. I had a long discussion with John Henry, passionate founder of the brand. He is deeply concerned with rumors that Oaxacan agave espadins are routinely transported out of Oaxaca to Jalisco for tequila production. If true, he feels stopping this is mission number one for today. The question is how do you stop it? There is no immediate answer. On the overall topic of sustainability, he views mezcal a bit like the wine business: each vintage has limited production and when you have no more agave, you stop. This focuses on estate grown agave and not the wide sourcing of agave from wherever you can get it. El Buho grows their own and does buy from other growers, but endeavors to build long-term relationships with any supplier they use and plan for appropriate crop management.
Don Amado. They are one of the oldest brands around having in started in 1994, and their producer has been practicing and teaching agave management for years – including crop replacement, soil care and harvesting. Also, they have built a state-of-the-art water purification system to treat and recycle waste water from mezcal production. Finally, they only utilize “fallen” trees for their wood – no chopping down of live trees.
El Jolgorio. They only work with small producers who use wild agaves. The producers will not harvest more than what is available and ready. As a result, El Jolgorio production will be relatively small per expression – they have eight unique varietals (see my prior post for more), and they are OK with that. So am I! Produce what you reasonably can and no more – good plan.

So that is my starter kit of what a handful of brands and producers are currently doing. I am certain than many others have projects or procedures in place to help the sustainability cause.

If you are a brand owner or producer and want to contribute to this list, please email me at [email protected]. In the meantime, drink mezcal!!

Mezcal Joints of the World

Mezcal PhD / November 24, 2013

This is a continually updated post on Mezcal Joints of the World. The list is global, but it starts with NYC since I live here. As it fills out, perhaps some more organization will follow (perhaps not). If you are a bar or restaurant and want to be on this list, please email me at [email protected]. Also, if you are on this list and want to include a short or more complete description, email me that as well. In a short period of time, this list has grown rapidly based on submissions from consumers or owners of these establishments. Don’t be shy!

New York

Anejo Tequileria. 668 10th Avenue at 47th. Deep mezcal list with great food to match.
Agave. 140 7th Avenue South, between Charles and 10th. More tequila focused but really excellent mezcal selection as well.
Mayahuel. SADLY THEY HAVE CLOSED.
Experimental Cocktail Club. 191 Chrystie St, between Rivington and Stanton. On the list because they make magic with the handful of mezcals they have. Also, they could not be nicer.
Casa Mezcal. 86 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand. The name says it all.
Zengo / La Biblioteca. 622 3rd Ave at 40th St. La Biblioteca is the downstairs tequila library. Love that.
Ofrenda. 113 7th Avenue South just north of Christopher.
Dos Caminos. Multiple locations in NYC. A bit of a chain but very good all the way around. Meatpacking location is my favorite.
Papatzul. 55 Grand St. They have a well curated mezcal collection and great food to boot. Plus, it’s a stone’s throw from my apartment so that works too!
La Loba Cantina. 709 Church Ave, Brooklyn (near Prospect Park). Opened by deeply passionate mezcal nerds (likely to be my best friends!), they have over 50 carefully curated mezcals and offer an authentic Oaxacan culinary experiece as well!
Gran Electrica. 5 Front St, Brooklyn. Cool joint with a great vibe and cocktail list. Plus, they love tacos and so do it. Excellent food!

Long Island, New York

Verde Kitchen & Cocktails. 70 E. Main Street Bay Shore, NY 11706. These guys are taking their agave distillates seriously! I know because I met them in Oaxaca. They have a medium sized mezcal portfolio but are growing it all the time. Worth a trip to Bay Shore you New Yorkers!

Buffalo, New York

Lloyd Taco Factory. 1503 Hertel Ave. This west coast themed Taqueria and Mezcaleria claims one of the finest mezcal collections on the east coast. I think a trip to Buffalo is in order!

Atlanta

Bone Garden Cantina. 1425 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd NW. They have an impressive mezcal selection and the owners have been to Oaxaca (big brownie points on th Mezcal PhD scale!). They also have my book (REALLY big brownie points!).

San Francisco

La Urbana. SADLY THEY HAVE CLOSED.
West of Pecos. 550 Valencia St. Small but carefully cultivated mezcal selection.
Padrecito. 901 Cole St. (at Carl). They have a huge and growing mezcal selection they tell me. I look forward to seeing it for myself!
Mezcalito. 2323 Polk St. They have over 40 mezcals at this cool mezcal and cocktail bar. A place I want to visit!
Mosto. 741 Valencia St. They have over 150 bottles of mezcal, which is a pretty strong commitment – love it! This joint gets rave reviews from my SF amigos so check it out!

Seattle

Liberty Bar. 517 15th Ave E. Owner Andrew Friedman goes deep on mezcal and tequila.
Barrio Mexican Kitchen and Bar. 1420 12th Ave. Bar Manager Casey Robinson is incredibly passionate about mezcal and mixology.
La Carta de Oaxaca, 5431 Ballard Ave NW. Mezcaleria Oaxaca, 2123 Queen Anne Avenue North, and a new location opening soon in Capital Hill. All three are under the same ownership. Great reviews and many mezcals.

Los Angeles

El Carmen. 8138 W 3rd St. More tequilas but a coming mezcal list with top flight mixology and excellent bites.
Las Perlas. 107 E 6th St. Renowned food and agave spirits mecca.
neat. 11780 W. Pico Blvd. Super cool cocktail bar with a heavy emphasis on mezcal. They even have something called “honors mezcal” on the menu. Your honor, may I approach the bench?

Houston

The Pastry War. 310 Main St. Bobby Heugel’s outstanding mezcal joint. I would love to check it out!
Hugo’s. 1600 Westheimer. Nominated by avid contributor Edward Fewell for their excellent food and pretty good (not amazing) mezcal selection. He tells me they have about a dozen premium mezcals which is pretty good – so they are in!

Chicago

Salsa 17. 17 W Campbell St, Arlington Heights. They have a relatively moderate mezcal selection today, but are passionately committed to growing it and educating their patrons on our favorite spirit!
Bien Trucha. 410 W. State St. (Geneva, IL). These guys are getting serious about their mezcal with intense staff trainings and trips to Oaxaca. Great reviews on Yelp! Look forward to going….
A Todo Madre. 499 N. Main St (Glen Ellyn, IL). A sister restaurant of the above Bien Tucha (and similarly excellent reviews), they support mezcal and I support them! Looks like a great place.
Masa Azul. 2901 W Diversey Ave. Looks like a cool joint and my friend Lou Bank (with a mezcal collection that rivals mine!) vouches for their mezcaly-ness. Great ratings on Yelp too!

Dallas

Las Almas Rotas. 3615 Parry Ave. I have not been here but the word is that this is THE mezcal joint in Dallas. I look forward to visiting!

Sacramento

Mayahuel – Restaurant and Tequila Museum. 1200 K. St. “… has a mezcaleria inside it with a large selection of mezcales…Oscar Escobar, the bar manager there, knows a ton about mezcal and imparts his knowledge.” Submitted by Raza from Wahaka Mezcal.

Denver

Machete Tequila and Tacos. 2817 E 3rd Ave. From the owner Wally: “We do carry over 100 tequilas on any given day, but are starting to bulk up on our mezcals. We will carry 7-10 families of mezcals in 2014.”
Leña. 24 Broadway. They have a modest mezcal list today but are committed to rapid expansion! It looks like a cool joint and besides, they said the magic words to get on this list: “we bought your book!” I look forward to checking it out soon!
Adelita’s Cocina y Cantina. 1294 S. Broadway. I like where these guys are headed. From the GM: “I am striving to be not only the best Mezcal/agave spirit bar in Colorado, but the best in the Western region of the states.” More power to you and I hope you get there!

Boulder

B Town Wine & Spirits. 5360 Arapahoe Ave # C. These guys rock! This is the only liquor store on the Mezcal Joints list. Why? Because they love and respect mezcal like nobody’s business – plus they have a great selection. Go check them out!

Breckenridge

Ritas. 301 S. Main St. I have not had the privilege of going there, but by all accounts from my mezcal-y amigos these guys have a great mezcal selection! And their Yelp reviews look good too, so sounds like you cannot miss here!

Vail

El Segundo. 223 Gore Creek Drive. Vail is not exactly a mezcal hotbed, but if you are in search of a nice and growing selection, this is a great choice. Ashley is carefully curating and enhancing the mezcal and cocktail program, and the food is great too. A definite stop if you are in Vail!
Bad Kitty Lounge. 227 Bridge St. Tucked away near the covered bridge, this is an East Village NYC-style cocktail bar. Great drinks and a small but high-end mezcal selection. Fun spot!

Kansas City

Port Fonda. 4141 Pennsylvania Ave. They started out in a custom airstream trailer, now they are a full blown restaurant, “with a strong agave distillate bar focus”. Looks cool.

Nashville

Butchertown Hall. 1416 Fourth Avenue North. An agave and beer hall. From the looks of their website they are more beer than agave, but they do have a pretty nice mezcal selection and I am guessing it is the best in Nashville! Good enough for me.

St Louis

Mission Taco Joint. 6235 Delmar Blvd and 908 Lafayette Ave. They tell me they love their agave distillates and I look forward to checking it out in person sometime!

Connecticut

Baro. 1229 Post Road, Fairfield. Mezon. 56 Mill Plain Road, Danbury. Both restaurants are under the same ownership, and they have a somewhat small but growing mezcal selection.

Providence, RI

El Rancho Grande. 311 Plainfield St. Rumor has it that they take their hospitality, food, service, and mezcal seriously!

Raleigh, NC

Gallo Pelón Mezcaleria. 106½ South Wilmington St. They claim to be the first mezcaleria in NC – who am I to argue! Just opened March 2015. Looks like a cool joint….

Indianapolis, IN

La Margarita. The Murphy Arts Center, 1043 Virginia Ave. An impressive list of tequilas and mezcals, plus fans of fine literature (they bought my book!).

Jacksonville, FL

TacoLu Baja Mexicana. 1712 Beach Blvd Jacksonville Beach. They love their mezcal at TacoLu. I have not been but it sure looks like a fun and festive place plus they have great reviews on Yelp!

Somersville, MA

Cantina la Mexicana, 247 Washington Street. They have grown from a small taqueria to a full-fledged bar with an extensive mezcal program! Founded in 1995, they have stood the test of time. Worth a visit for sure!

Tacoma, WA

Hilltop Kitchen. 913 MLK Jr. Way. Stylish place with over 100 unique mezcals. I’d say that qualifies! I hope I get to visit some day….

Washington D.C.

Espita Mezcaleria. 1250 9th St NW Washington, DC. New joint which opened in D.C. in Feb 2016. The interior is painted by well known Mexican artists plus they have “mezcaleria” in their name! Sounds very promising.
El Mezcalero. Opening in January of 2107. Sounds good and a bit of a more accessible price point than Espita.

Omaha, NE

Spirit World. 6680 Center St. A liquor store and a bar under the same roof? Why can’t that happen where I live? I am guessing there is not too much mezcal to be found in Omaha, but if you are looking, this is the joint!

Cave Creek, AZ

Tonto Bar and Grill, 5736 E. Rancho Mañana Blvd (apparently between Scottsdale and Phoenix). While the owner thinks he may have the largest mezcal selection in AZ, I am less sure. But he is the only one in the state who has asked to be on the list. Also, his mezcal selection is pretty good and more importantly, he bought my book! Saludos!

Mexico

In Situ. Oaxaca. Probably the most well known of all mezcalerias.
Los Danzantes Mexican Restaurant. Oaxaca

Canada

Mezcal Taco and Tequila. 150 James Street South, Hamilton, Ontario. Just opening in the spring of 2015. Looks promising!

Guatemala

Café No Se. Antigua. Headquarters for John Rexer’s original smuggling operation for Ilegal Mezcal. Reportedly the first Mezcaleria to exist outside of Mexico!

Australia

Mr Moustache. 69-71 Hall St, Bondi, Sydney, NSW 2026. While I have not been, they tell me they have over 100 bottles of mezcal – representing over 30 brands – a worthy collection by any measure!
Mamasita. Level 1/11 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000. They have a great mezcal selection with over 60 bottles, and they have a “mezcalier” program which assures one highly knowledgeable staff person is on duty every night to answer all agave-related questions!
El Grotto. Scarborough, Perth. They take their agave spirits seriously here – focused on quality over quantity. They also take pride in avoiding industrial mezcals and tequilas. Much respect.

U.K.

184 Hackney Road (formerly Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui). 184 Hackney Road (of course), London. From the owner: “Hidden under a kebab shop in Hackney, East London, we have one of the largest mezcal selections in Europe.” I’m from NYC, and any bar hidden underneath a kabob shop sounds like a winner to me! Hope to check it out someday!
Crazy Pedro’s Part-Time Pizza Parlour- Full Time Party Bar (now that is a mouthful). 55-57 Bridge Street, Manchester. Look’s like a nutty place. Over 60 mezcals so can’t argue with that! Hope to see it myself someday….

Norway

Perla Mezcaleria. Helgesensgate 66a o558 Oslo. Let’s hear it for the Great White North! This fine little mezcaleria has 30-40 different mezcals and they are the only mezcaleria in Norway – a country of over 5mm people!

Denmark

The Barking Dog. Sankt Hans Gade 19, Copenhagen 2200 Nørrebro. They are seriously focused on agave spirits with a great mezcal list. Plus, Carl has been to Mexico to further his agave education – much respect. Looks like a cool place….

Paris

Little Red Door. 60 Rue Charlot, Paris, France. Widely acclaimed cocktail bar with a nice selection of mezcals and mezcal cocktails.
CandelariaTaco Place, 52 rue de Saintonge, Paris, Île-de-France.

Amsterdam

Salmuera. Rozengracht 106H, 1016. I have not been here, but it sure sounds tempting with a great food menu and almost 50 mezcals. Great reviews on social media as well!

El Jolgorio: A Boutique Mezcal with Many Varietals

Mezcal PhD / November 22, 2013

As a regular reader, you know I have a fascination with the diversity of agaves from which mezcal can be made. From my-likely-to-be-highly-inaccurate accounting, I am somewhere in the mid-40’s of species, sub-species, or varieties of agave from which mezcal is currently produced.

I recently came across an academic research piece from the noted agave expert, Ana Valenzuela-Zapata, that said there were 42 species in Mexico from which mezcal is made. This is directionally where I came out on my last piece on this topic. (I got to 47 but I know there is some overlap). So while the exact number is hard to pin down, and is likely a moving target, my pursuit continues.

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