Mezcal advice?

Looking to expand my horizons a bit, and I’m wondering what people think of Mezcal. Does it offer anything particularly distinct from Tequila? Any brands or styles to look for?

It’s distinctly different from tequila (love both) with a very smoky profile. I use Del Maguey Vida for most cocktails and will occasionally sip a bit of Del Maguey’s single vineyard bottlings.

it’s NOTHING like tequila - I love it in cocktails. Perhaps my favorite spirit nowadays, for making cocktails

Lots of artisanal producers are forgoing the fire roasting process so a lot of them are not smoky. I wish I had more info but I went through a mezcal phase a couple of years ago and forgot a lot of what I know.

Keep in mind: some mezcals (anything labeled ‘pechuga’) use meat in the process.

I really liked the Mezcal Vago Elote which uses unfermented roasted corn in the distillation process. I killed my last bottle a year ago but don’t remember it being smoky.

Like most anything else, there is good mezcal and crap mescal. Avoid the bottles with the scorpions on it or in it. Del Maguey is probably the best known for quality across the portfolio. The blended Vida and all of their single village designates that I’ve had are wonderful. Montelobos, Vago, Pierde Almas, Ilegal all have great mescal expressions. Fidencio is smoke-free…tasty but more similar to tequila in that respect. The cool thing about mezcal is that it is made from a variety of agave plants (not just blue agave…most are espadin but try others like tobala, tepeztate, tobasiche…the list goes on and on) so you can start to understand varietal traits and regional characteristics on top of the impact of different production methods.

Stay away from it.

Nolan,

This past summer my wife and I were grabbing some oysters and a cocktail after work in NYC. I made a comment to the bartender about Mezcal and he immediately took and interest in us as he was a big fan. He poured us tastes of several mezcals including the Vago Elote which I found excellent and very distinctive.

Vida is my favorite for cocktails, by far - Don Amado Reposado is the best Mezcal I’ve had, but still can’t get into sipping it quite yet. I’m close, but still prefer Mezcal in cocktails. Combining with Passion Fruit, lemon juice, touch of agave, and a Tajin rim - SO GOOD.

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Thanks for all the suggestions and info. I’m mainly interested in something that is distinctive on its own, not as a mixer. I notice that like Tequila, there are young and aged versions. I usually prefer “silver” Tequila for its straightforward agave character, unaffected by oak. I’m guessing I’d want to aim for “joven” Mezcal then?

check out the lines from mezcal vago and the higher end/ single village bottlings from del maguey - both are generally available and they get very unique.

one of the coolest ones i currently have is mezcal vago’s blancy y negra which includes some rarer sub-varietals of agave. superb and unique drink and as complex as the best whiskeys.

Just picked this bottle up. My first ever purchase (although I’ve had many a cocktail/taste of others before and I’m officialy a convert). Can’t wait to try it.

Jorge, can you translate that quotation on the label into English for us?

I drink a lot of the Del Maguey single villages, and often find myself reaching for mezcal instead of scotch or bourbon. I love the smokiness, the citrus, the lightness, the complexity, etc. I like Vago Elote too and want to expand my horizons, although availability can be challenging.

Sitting at a bar for dinner tonight I saw the lineup of Alipus.

They do different regional versions of mostly espadin but do have some blends/different varieties. It would be fun to sip a few different versions in the same night to compare (which I’m pretty sure I’ve done before…).

I was introduced to this recently and am now on the lookout for some really nice sipping Mezcals.

I have a wild Cruixe from El Jolgario. Delicious stuff.
You have to like the slightly smoked and peaty delivery versus tequila but I find these much more interesting than tequila.

Any folks out there like these?
Any favorites?

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Love Mezcal.

I’m not an expert, but we drink a lot of Del Maguey Chichicapa at home. Really complex and delicious. Love the fruit, salt, and smoke.

Sorry I started a separate thread up above. If they can be fused here by the moderators glad to piggy off this one.

I can tell you the entire lineup by El Jolgario is supposed to be incredible. I have only tried the Wild Cruixe. All based on different agaves but not really different techniques. Not cheap. Looks like $80 to 140 is the price range for the really good stuff. Much more interesting to me than tequila.

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I am a big fan of the FIDENCIO Mezcal - as good as I have sampled -

http://www.fidenciomezcal.com/

Gracias a Dios baby!

Of course, I sell the stuff.

Xicaru, El Jolgorio, and Marca Negra all worth trying. Xicaru for your cocktail fix.