Charleston bartender Fabiana Pinillos created a spicy, passion fruit-flavored version of the mezcalita, the margarita’s smokey mezcal-laced cousin, a bold cocktail made for sipping alongside lively conversation. In fact, it was created for SAVEUR’s inaugural SAVEUR Salon celebrating women founders in food. Tropical passion fruit syrup gets a zing of flavor with Red Clay’s Habanero Hot sauce, and Spicy Peach Hot Honey. Pinillos used Doce Mezcal.

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Agua de jamaica is a hibiscus infusion that you can easily brew at home. When making this gingery riff on the paloma cocktail, grapefruit juice can be swapped out for other fresh-squeezed citrus like pomelo, tangerine, or blood orange. Unabashedly nontraditional—in Mexico, hibiscus is not a conventional cocktail ingredient—the flor de Jalisco benefits from a ginger beer that skews spicy such as Ginger Lab. 

Featured in “From Jamaica to Senegal, This Crimson Infusion Reigns Supreme.”

The post Flor de Jalisco (Hibiscus Tequila Mule) appeared first on Saveur.

Often referred to as the national spirit of Mexico, mezcal has been produced in the country since pre-Colombian times. In just the past decade, however, the agave spirit has seen a huge surge in popularity: Between 2015 and 2019, the category grew 500% in sales. A terroir-driven spirit whose romantic time-honored production methods have captured the hearts of bartenders and craft cocktail evangelists, mezcal is now one of fastest-growing spirits in America.

Despite mezcal’s popularity, it’s often overshadowed by its agave-based cousin tequila. Mezcal is often referred to as “smoky tequila,” a perhaps useful but reductive characterization that belies its vast diversity. It all starts with the agave, also known as maguey. While tequila must be made specifically from 100 percent blue Weber agave, mezcal can be made from more than 100 different varieties, each with its own aromatics, flavors and textures that manifest in the final liquid. Still, many entry-level consumers can understand mezcal best by juxtaposing it against tequila.

“Though tequila is mezcal, not all mezcal is tequila,” says Raul Pool, the bar director and general manager of Los Angeles’ Airliner, citing a common explanation. “In the same way that beer includes both ales and lagers, the agave family tree splits into two primary distilled spirits: tequila and mezcal. Since mezcal can be made from an array of species, choosing a mezcal is subjective. It’s important to do some research on each species, location and distillery to truly discover your favorite mezcal.” (It’s worth noting that while mezcal technically is an umbrella term for agave spirits, it was given an official Denomination of Origin for Mezcal (DOM) that distinguished it from tequila back in 1994.)

Today, scale is another major differentiating factor between the two spirits. Some modern tequila producers have traded copper stills for more efficient column stills and introduced sugars and commercial yeasts to yield a smoother product. By contrast, the majority of mezcaleros have maintained centuries-old practices of handcrafting the stuff, including using donkey-pulled stone wheels to crush their agave. So while even some of the best tequilas are mass-produced, the finest mezcals take longer to make, especially those that employ rare and wild agave species that require more time to mature and develop.

“Mezcal is one of the few spirits that’s still a natural product that hasn’t been industrialized,” says Dr. Iván Saldaña Oyarzábal, a distiller of Montelobos mezcal and co-author of “The Anatomy of Mezcal.” “With mezcal, we still ferment in the natural form.” Employing these methods isn’t tradition for tradition’s sake, of course; the process defines what makes mezcal so exciting to drink. “When [the agave’s] simple sugars are in contact with the air, they are transformed into alcohol—the sensorial complexity comes from not only one organism but a group working together to create a herbaceousness, smokiness and caramel-like sweetness.”

Ready to get started? Whether you’re shaking up one of our best mezcal cocktail recipes or sipping the stuff neat, these are our picks of the best mezcal brands and bottles to try in 2022.

• Best Overall: Alipús San Luis Del Río
• Best Value: Del Maguey Vida Montelobos Mezcal
• Best Splurge: El Jolgorio Madrecuixe
• Best Entry-Level: Montelobos Espadín Joven
• Best for Margaritas: Madre
• Best for Palomas: El Silencio Espadín
• Best for Wintry Cocktails: Vago Elote
• Best for Sipping: Derrumbes San Luis Potosí
• Best Smoky: Ojo de Tigre
• Best Barrel-Aged: Sombra Reposé
• Best Non-Oaxacan: Mezcal de Leyendas Maguey Ancho Guerrero
• Best Tepextate: Rey Campero Tepextate
• Bartender Favorite: Del Maguey Chichicapa

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Alipús San Luis Del Río

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For more than two decades, Alipús has forged relationships with exclusively small-scale artisanal agave producers in remote rural villages, or pueblos, in Oaxaca, many accessible only by dirt road. Each of the brand’s mezcals is sourced from and named for a single village. This expression, from the town of San Luis Del Rio, uses espadín planted in rocky, sandy soil some 4,000 feet above sea level. This terroir manifests in tropical aromas of candied lemon and coconut, which unfurl gently into more citrusy and piney notes. A pleasant spice and salinity joins in with subtle smoke for an elegant balance that many other mezcals can only covet.

Best Value: Del Maguey Vida

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Del Maguey is perhaps the best-known purveyor of mezcal in the States, and its wide range of offerings—there’s one for any type of drinker—can be found at bars across the country. Their beginner offering, Vida, is a single-village espadín mezcal launched in 2010. At around $35, it has become bartenders’ trusty go-to for mixing. “Vida is such a versatile and cost-effective mezcal for cocktails, imparting tropical fruits and smoke,” says New York City bartender Eryn Reece.

Best Splurge: El Jolgorio Madrecuixe

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If you have the budget, get to know the wilder side of mezcal. El Jolgorio (“the revelry” in Spanish) is a line of single-batch, single-vintage and single-producer mezcals made exclusively from wild and semi-wild agaves representing a variety of species. Embodying the highly varied nature of agave, no two bottlings are the same (so check the bottle for more information). This expression spotlights a 2014 harvest of madrecuixe, a variety of karwinskii agaves, sourced from the village of Río Seco. Available in limited quantities for around $150, the supremely complex mezcal offsets earthy notes and high minerality with whispers of melon and cherry.

Best Entry-Level: Montelobos Espadín Joven

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A collaboration between Saldaña Oyarzábal and Casa Montelobos—a Oaxaca-Mexico City-based company that works with families who’ve produced mezcal for generations—this award-winning joven is the essential bottling for the newcomer. Distinctly smoky and peppery, with almost a savory quality, Montelobos really captures the best of what the category has to offer—and at a touch higher-proof, too. Coming in at $50, it’s also a relatively affordable mezcal whose price tag makes mixing with it a little more reasonable.

Best for Margaritas: Madre

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Madre is produced by mezcalero José García Morales and his family at their namesake ranch in Oaxaca. Inspired by a traditional Zapotec recipe, the spirit uses espadín and cuixe agaves that have been fermented with indigenous yeast and distilled in an heirloom copper pot still. The use of cuixe, part of the wild karwinskii family, imbues the resulting liquid with powerful savory kick, minerality, and spice. At $50, it’s a bang-for-your-buck bottle touting sweet, herbaceous aromas of roasted agave and honey that give way to savory, almost salty undertones. Though it’s great for sipping neat, it’s also our pick for a solid mezcal margarita.

Best for Palomas: El Silencio Espadín

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Nielsen data ranks El Silencio as the top-selling mezcal by volume sales, and it’s easy to see why. This is an everyday easy-sipping mezcal that works well in citrusy cocktails, particularly palomas. Designed with mixology in mind, the handmade espadín mezcal offers herbaceous notes of grapefruit, mild smoke and even some subtle fig. The bottle likewise looks stunning in a home bar: The all-black design is inspired by barro negro (“black clay” in Spanish) pottery.

Best for Wintry Cocktails: Vago Elote

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The world of mezcal is filled with romantic tales. An expat living in Oaxaca, founder Judah Emanuel Kuper, fell victim to an ear infection that placed him in the care of a nurse named Valentina. As it turned out, her father, Aquilino García López, came from a long line of mezcaleros who’d been producing the stuff for more than 300 years. López infuses this joven expression with roasted corn that comes from his own farm. Ideal for offsetting spicy and wintry flavors, the mezcal’s typical smoke is layered here with a honeyed fruit sweetness and the distinct scent of roasted corn. Try it in a fall and winter mezcal cocktail.

Best for Sipping: Derrumbes San Luis Potosí

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Produced in the eponymous state of San Luis Potosí, this mezcal is made from wild-growing salmiana agave that has been steam-roasted in an above-ground brick oven, rather than the usual pit-roasting. “You won’t notice as much of the usual ‘smoky’ taste,” says Timo Torner, the cocktail influencer behind the account @drinksandbars. “Instead, notes of eucalyptus and bell pepper create a unique flavor profile. This unusual mix makes an interesting ingredient for cocktails.” The salmiana variety is not very common, taking four times the amount of time to reach maturity compared to espadín.

Best Smoky Mezcal: Ojo de Tigre

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A marriage of Oaxaca espadín and wild Pueblan tobalá, this bright, fresh mezcal offers the best parts of that signature smoke without obscuring the desired bright, fresh flavors of agave. Produced in Tlacolula De Matamoros, the mezcal balances fruitier qualities, including green apple and citrus, with savory accents of mesquite that make for pairing with wood-fired meats and bold cheeses. The handy flip-cap bottle, inspired by the classic amphora silhouette, can be reused after the mezcal is consumed.

Best Barrel-Aged: Sombra Reposé

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Launched just this year, this first-of-its-kind mezcal starts with Sombra’s crisp joven mezcal, which is aged in ex-Bordeaux wine barrels for six months to create a new type of reposado, which the brand calls “reposé,” or rested. Sourced from the historic Château Léoville Poyferré, a second growth wine estate in Saint-Julien, France, the Limousin oak barrels offer the mezcal some fresh and fruity notes, with blackberry and orange on the nose. Sombra is notable as one of the most transparently sustainable brands, employing fair-trade agave sourcing and solar panels at its palenque, which also turns spent agave fibers into bricks for the local people.

Best Non-Oaxacan: Mezcal de Leyendas Maguey Ancho Guerrero

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To get a sense of terroir in mezcal, look to Mezcal de Leyendas, one of the most notable producers showcasing the wealth of diversity within the category. “They were really one of the first brands to show that mezcal can come from outside Oaxaca and from different agaves than espadín,” says Ivy Mix of Leyenda in Brooklyn, New York. The brand’s sole offering from Guerrero, a mountainous state of the Sierra Madre, this bottling showcases notes of verdant green plantain and papaya, accented by black pepper.

Best Tepextate: Rey Campero Tepextate

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The name of this mezcal brand translates to “king of the countryside.” Rightfully so: located in the highland town of Candelaria Yegolé, Rey Campero boasts an array of wild agaves including jabalí and tepextate. Led by Romulo Sanchez Parada, the family-owned distillery has embraced sustainable practices for its nurseries, allowing a number of those slow-growing agaves to grow and spread their seed. This memorable expression is a masterful showcase of floral aromas, strong minerality, and heady spice. Sip it neat, please.

Best Bartender Favorite: Del Maguey Chichicapa

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It would be unacceptable to write a list of the best mezcal brands and not include Del Maguey’s beloved Chichicapa, named for the semitropical valleys of the Oaxacan town of San Baltazar Chichicapam, where it’s produced. An insider favorite of mezcal aficionados, the espadín-based spirit offers an inimitable palate of sweet roasted agave mixed with nutty almond and finished with mint. It’s incredibly smooth-sipping for a 92-proof spirit. “I typically describe Chichicapa to guests as sipping on a slightly sweet, smoky campfire,” says Brett Esler of Mezcaleria Tobalá at Whisler’s in Austin. “On a good night, I can easily go through two full bottles of it strictly pouring it neat.”

Types of Agave

There are more than 200 species of agave, approximately 40 of which may be officially used in mezcal. And within those species, there are even more varieties. Taking just eight to 12 years to mature, espadín (Agave angustifolia) is the most common variety of agave used in mezcal—a fact that belies its exceeding elegance. “Espadín offers an earthy aroma, carries a rich smokiness and delivers a floral, fruity and charred finish,” says Carlos Ochoa, COO of El Silencio. To get a sense of the mezcal category, it’s good to start with a baseline unaged, or joven (“young” in Spanish), espadín.

Beyond espadín, the possibilities are endless. ​​Tobalá (Agave potatorum) is perhaps one of the most popular wild species used in mezcal. The small and stout agave thrives on hills and cliffs but is unable to reproduce asexually, meaning it relies on the help of pollinators, namely bats (see the note on sustainability below). Then there’s tepextate (Agave marmorata), a slow-growing wild agave that can take up to 25 years to mature. Mezcaleros typically ferment wild agaves with local mountain yeasts.

Finally, there’s Agave Karwinskii, a long and tall species native to Oaxaca, as well as Puebla and Veracruz. Karwinskii subvarieties include the formidable madrecuixe, which can exceed 200 pounds in the right environment. It’s also able to cross-pollinate other related varieties within the Karwinskii family, which include cuixe, tripón, verde, barril, and tobaziche.

Categories of Mezcal

Beyond the agave used, the official governing body of mezcal, or Consejo Regulador del Mezcal (CRM), further categorizes mezcals by their production method. From most to least “modern,” these labels are: mezcal, mezcal artesanal and mezcal ancestral. It’s exactly what it sounds like: While “mezcal” may be made via continuous column copper still, “mezcal ancestral” must employ open-fire clay pots. These differences are largely semantic, but do play a role in the final product.

Distilling Process

While production methods differ between mezcals, the universal elements found across the category include the roast, the tahona, and the fermentation and distillation. It’s through a slow roast that mezcal develops its quintessential smoky quality, before the tahona (or stone wheel) crushes the agaves to extract the juice that’s then fermented and distilled. Ochoa explains the following process at El Silencio:

Roast: “Once the piñas arrive at the distillery, or palenque, a large fire is built in an underground pit using mesquite and encino native to the area. The fire heats large volcanic rocks that line the pit and act as the heat source for this underground ‘oven.’ The piñas are roasted for four to six days.”

Tahona: “The roasted piñas are then put into a circular stone pit and crushed using a heavy stone wheel, or tahona.”

Fermentation and distillation: “The agave pulp is then placed into barrel-like vats for the open-air fermentation process, transforming the sugars into alcohol. Fibers and liquid are then double-distilled to produce our artisanal mezcal.”

Aging

Most mezcal is unaged, or joven, since the addition of wood can clash with the complex, wild, and funky qualities of agave. Those lighter flavors can often be compromised when wood is added. However, there are several standout aged mezcals, which, like tequilas, are typically referred to as “reposado.” Unlike with a whiskey, which can more or less be placed in a barrel for many years, aging agave spirits—the multitude of them—requires more hands-on attention and discipline. Aged mezcal brands include Ilegal reposado, perhaps the best exemplar of a well-balanced reposado mezcal that still showcases its strong agave essence. But innovation also continues in this area: Sombra, a project by winemaker Richard Betts, recently launched a lovely rose-tinted mezcal aged in ex-Bordeaux barrels.

Sustainability

Though mezcal is lauded for its commitment to tradition, there are ways that mezcal has, and should, continue to innovate, particularly when it comes to sustainability. “Today, mezcal is the fastest-growing spirits category, which directly impacts the spirit’s native communities whose livelihoods rely on agave agriculture and mezcal production,” says Ochoa. “On one hand, the popularity has driven the rise of mezcal tourism in places like Oaxaca, resulting in an influx of visitors, economic growth and a spotlight on the vibrant culture. However, it’s also led to unethical practices that exploit this region and its people.”

Along with other pioneering brands like Montelobos, Sombra and Mezcales de Leyenda, El Silencio has gone to great lengths to ensure sustainability, both for the environment and local community. Across the mezcal industry, these measures include replacing donkeys with solar-powered tahonas, and upcycling of spent agave fibers, or bagasse, into anything from fertilizer (El Silencio) to bricks (Sombra). Ochoa says everything at El Silencio’s distillery is built at waist-height to literally lighten the load of workers: “Traditional mezcal production is extremely hard on a mezcalero’s body, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Then there’s of course the agave itself. The boom of mezcal has resulted in waves of agave shortages and ongoing disruptions of pollinating bat populations. And demand for rare mezcals has led to overharvesting of wild agave varieties. When possible, seek out a “bat-friendly” label, which means the brand allows at least 5 percent of its agaves to flower and thus spread their seeds.

Ask the Experts

Q: What’s the best way to enjoy mezcal?

Despite its stereotypically “strong” flavor, mezcal is exceedingly versatile, ideal for both sipping and shaking. It typically comes down to price: Affordable mezcals made with the more common espadín agave can easily be subbed in for tequila in margaritas and gin in negronis. Meanwhile, some of the pricier spirits made from slow-growing wild agaves could beat the finest scotches in both funk and smoke.

Q: How do you properly sip mezcal?

Like a peated whiskey, many sipping mezcals offer pleasant smoky notes, but these actually become dulled when chilled. So it’s best to sip it at room temperature. To bring out its earthy and savory qualities, consider serving your mezcal alongside snacks like dried fruits, cheeses and cured meats.

Q: How long does mezcal last once it has been opened?

Like many other spirits of a high-enough ABV, an unopened bottle of mezcal has no expiration date. Once opened, oxidation and exposure to air can affect mouthfeel and flavor over time. This can also depend on how much liquid is left in the bottle.

Our Take

A romantic affair of smoke and fire, mezcal is the stuff of legends, literally: There are entire Aztec deities dedicated to agave. Get to know the stories behind the bottles, from the multigenerational mezcalero families to the centuries-old production methods. Do your own research to learn about the history of a distillery you’re interested in. Chat up your local cocktail bartender to find out their favorite (or try to impress them by ordering some Chichicapa).

Mezcal may well be the most subjective spirit out there. While the category’s overwhelming diversity—of ingredients, production methods and terroir—can make it seem intimidating, it’s also what makes it so alluring. As you explore, seek out mezcals made from different agaves and compare notes between them. After all, it’s the individualities and specificities across the mezcal that make this category so great.

The post The 13 Best Mezcals to Transport You to Oaxaca (and Beyond) appeared first on Saveur.

Tequila may still be recovering from its reputation as a party shot, but these days, the agave spirit is recognized both as an endlessly versatile cocktail ingredient and premium sipping spirit that holds its own against pricy cognacs and fine whiskeys. 

In its native Mexico, tequila is a 500-year-old tradition whose history is interwoven with that of the Mexican identity. The Aztecs believed the agave plant to be a gift from the gods, drank a prototypical agave spirit called pulque, and worshipped an agave deity named Mayahuel. But America’s love affair with tequila only started within the last century. Following World War II, the margarita became a fashionable drink in American bars, and in the 1970s, the Mexican government created the Appellation of Origin Tequila (AOT), standardizing production and allowing international exports to boom. In 2019, tequila consumption in the U.S. surpassed that of Mexico. 

It has been a movement that hasn’t really ever slowed, even amidst a global pandemic. In 2020, sales across the tequila category grew a whopping 46 percent. Bobby Heugel, the owner-bartender at Anvil Bar & Refuge and The Pastry War in Houston, believes the surge in popularity is also in part due to new attitudes toward Mexico and Mexican foods. “People are starting to recognize that Mexico produces great spirits,” says Heugel. “We’re really getting over this ethnocentric mindset where tequila is only intended to be shot or put into frozen drinks.” 

As a testament to tequila’s staying power, margaritas have never been more popular than they are today. “In 2015, Americans ordered 185,000 margaritas per hour in the United States,” says Brian Van Flandern, a bartender and the co-author of Tequila Cocktails. And that’s of course not counting those of us who are about to make a margarita at home right now. 

Ready to get started? Whether you’re prepping for margarita night, hosting a festive Cinco de Mayo party with the best tequila recipes, or just having some fun with infusions (try this steeped cocoa-nib-infused tequila cocktail recipe), we’ve rounded up the 10 best tequilas to try right now. 

• Best Overall: Fortaleza Reposado
• Best Value: Pueblo Viejo Blanco
• Best for Whiskey Fans: Chinaco Añejo
• Best Entry-Level Blanco: Ocho Plata
• Best Reliable Reposado: Don Julio Reposado
• Best Añejo: Corralejo Añejo
• Best for Cocktails: Lunazul Blanco 
• Best Bottle: Clase Azul Reposado
• Best Splurge: Casa Dragones Joven
• Best “Celebrity” Tequila: Código 1530 Rosa Blanco 

Features to Keep in Mind

Types of Tequilas

Tequila is a subcategory of mezcal, which refers to spirits made with any of the 50-some species of agave. To qualify as tequila, mezcal must be made specifically with 100% blue Weber agave. Meanwhile, the various designations of tequila—Blanco, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo—refer to the duration of its aging process. Blanco or silver, for example, refers to the clear tequilas which spend between zero and 59 days in oak barrels. These are considered to be unaged. Reposado, or rested, tequilas must be stored for a minimum of 60 days, while añejo spends at least a year, and extra añejo spends at least three years. 

If tequila’s age statements seem rather low in comparison to those of their grain-spirit counterparts, it’s because of agave’s longer growth period and the impact that has on flavor. “Agaves are cultivated at seven to 10 years,” says Van Flandern. “Mother Nature is doing all the flavoring in the ground, and then after distillation, it’s aged in barrels for a shorter period of time.” After factoring in this growth time, a quality aged tequila might be comparable in complexity to a 12-year-old Scotch whiskey.

Region/Origins

Ninety-seven percent of tequilas are produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco, notably in the highlands of the region due to good soil and climate, where they have been made using traditional methods for hundreds of years. 

Ingredients

All tequilas are made with 100% blue Weber agave. 

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Fortaleza Reposado

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While many tequila brands tout their highlands origin for its terroir, Fortaleza is actually a lowland tequila that uses agave from the Tequila Valley, which is often sweeter and also takes longer to grow. As such, its spice is offset by a subtle sweetness that can alter the nature of a cocktail. This accessible smooth-sipping reposado is barrel-aged for six to nine months. While Fortaleza was officially founded in 2005, owner Guillermo Sauza comes from a long line of tequila-makers. In 1873, his great-great-grandfather Don Cenobio founded the Jalisco distillery that would later become the famed Sauza Tequila Import Co. To Sauza’s dismay, his grandfather sold the family business in the 1970s. Now, with Fortaleza, Sauza returns to his roots making authentic tequila. Traditional methods include using a tahona stone mill to crush agave and small copper-pot stills to distill the agave.

Best Value: Pueblo Viejo Blanco

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“There’s not a better tequila for $20 on the planet,” says Heugel, who uses Pueblo Viejo as the good tequila at Anvil. Arguably one of the best value Blanco tequilas on the market, it delivers a smooth, herbal flavor accented with notes of caramel and fruit, rounded out by a long-lasting finish. Pueblo Viejo’s creator, Carmen Alicia Villarreal Treviño, is a true tequila pioneer in a field dominated by men.

Best for Whiskey Lovers: Chinaco Añejo

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Using agave farmed primarily in Tamaulipas, Mexico, Chinaco is one of the few producers outside of Jalisco. Throughout the 1970s, it fought larger Jalisco-based distillers and successfully lobbied the government to award it Tamaulipas Denomination of Origin status. In 1983, Chinaco also became the first premium tequila to enter the U.S. market. “Chinaco is the tequila that brought scotch and cognac drinkers to the tequila category—that’s a fact,” says Julio Bermejo, the creator of the world-famous Tommy’s Margarita recipe at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco’s Richmond District. Tamaulipas, which is close to the ocean and whose soil boasts a higher mineral concentration, yields a rich and intensely flavored agave. This tequila is aged for nearly three years in oak barrels and bourbon casks, offering floral and baked-fruit notes that end in a spicy-smoky finish. 

Best Entry-Level Blanco: Ocho Plata

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If you really want to get a sense of how terroir can affect agave, look to Ocho, an estate-grown offering that’s notable for being the first to carry a “tequila vintage” designation signifying the year, harvest, and location of its agave. Showcasing the unique agaves of the Arandas and Camarena Ranchos near the Lerma River, Ocho emphasizes the personality of that soil by focusing on the nuanced differences, rather than the consistency, from batch to batch, bottle to bottle. “For an entry-level tequila, I love Ocho Blanco,” says Ivy Mix, the owner-bartender at Leyenda in Brooklyn, New York. “It comes out annually with different vintages and is always spectacular—a great one to collect and learn about terroir in agave.”

Best Reliable Reposado: Don Julio Reposado

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Don Julio’s namesake founder was a revolutionary force in tequila, introducing previously unheard practices like agaves reaching maturity before harvesting and increasing space between each plant. The resulting spirits would help pave the way for the premiumization of the entire category. Aged for just under a year in repurposed bourbon barrels, the Don Julio reposado remains a workhorse for sipping neat or stirring in complex spirit-forward cocktails with notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Try it in a tequila old-fashioned. 

Best Añejo: Corralejo Añejo

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Based in Guanajuato, Mexico, Corralejo is another distiller granted the right to produce outside of Jalisco. Corralejo is also notable for using the 400-year-old Charentais method, best known in the cognac world, which calls for a second distillation to take place in an alembic copper pot still. Easily spotted by its distinctively tall and skinny bottling, Corralejo’s añejo comes in a red-hued bottle, which signifies prosperity in Mexican culture. Aged for 12 months in American oak barrels charred on the inside, the finished product is full-bodied with lovely notes of smoke and pepper, though noticeably subtler than others.

Best for Cocktails: Lunazul Blanco

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Lunazul is one of the most fruity-tasting Blanco tequilas. You’ll get a nice whiff of fresh agave layered with tropical fruit and apple. “What really makes Lunazul stand out, though, is that it makes for a great cocktail tequila,” says Nick Bennett, beverage director at Porchlight in Manhattan. “I love using it in margaritas and Palomas—cocktails with a lot of citruses and little sugar so the fruitiness of the agave can really shine.” 

Best Bottle: Clase Azul Reposado

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We’d grab this tequila off the shelf for its elegant handmade decanter alone, but luckily it’s more than just pretty packaging. Clase Azul’s reposado is a silky, sweet caramel-accented tequila made with Jalisco blue agave in the traditional fashion: slow-cooked for 72 hours in stone ovens, fermented using a proprietary yeast strain, and double-distilled in a copper still. It’s then aged for a minimum of eight months in second-use oak barrels.

Best Splurge: Casa Dragones Joven

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At first glance, this crystal-clear tequila resembles another Blanco, albeit in a gorgeous handblown glass bottle. Dubbed “the first ultra-premium silver tequila,” the spirit inside is fittingly luxurious, blending the pleasantly fruity and floral qualities of silver tequila with a subtle hint of extra añejo for the complex spiced undertones of a more aged spirit. While most tequila brands use hyper traditional production methods, Casa Dragones does just the opposite, employing a multi-distillation process. And the distillery is revolutionary in more ways than one: It’s helmed by CEO Bertha González Nieves, the first woman to be granted the title of Maestra Tequilera. 

Best “Celebrity Tequila”: Código 1530 Rosa Blanco 

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From George Clooney’s Casamigos to Kendall Jenner’s 818, the celebrity-owned tequila brand is practically a genre of its own. Our pick of this star-studded field is this bright-pink-tinted stunner from country legend George Strait. The tequila’s color comes from a month in uncharred Napa Valley red wine barrels. Unlike scotch, tequila can be aged in any type of oak barrel, and the cabernet white oak that’s used imparts gentle touches of berry to accent a big, bold earthy base. 

Ask the Experts

Q: What is a good tequila for beginners?

Who says you have to start with a blanco? If you’re a beginner who plans to sip your tequila neat or on the rocks, treat yourself to the Siembra Azul Añejo, a fantastic spirit that starts with organically farmed agave roasted in clay ovens. Interestingly, the nectar is slow-fermented to the tunes of Mozart and Vivaldi in an effort to reduce “environmental stress.” If classical music is the secret to this añejo, then it surely works. Enjoy warm spice aromas that unroll into a palate of butterscotch and caramelized fruit. 

Q: What should I eat with tequila?

You can always keep it traditional with your favorite taco recipe, but also consider how aged and unaged tequilas pair with different types of foods. Blanco tequila acts like white wine here, pairing nicely with fresh, citrusy dishes and seafood; double up by dashing some into a ceviche. Meanwhile, añejo tequilas, often dark and smoky, are perfect with red meat and heartier, saucier dishes like enchiladas.

Our Take

Skip the mixed tequilas: If you’re evaluating a tequila that isn’t on this list, make sure it’s 100 percent agave rather than 51 percent agave; check the label on the bottle before you buy it to verify that it says “100% de agave” or “100% puro de agave.” The 51 percent varieties are tequila mixtos, or tequilas where the blue agave has been cut with corn or sugar cane. “It’s cheap tequila,” says Van Flandern. “It’s going to give you a headache.”

Shop responsibly: So-called boom-and-bust cycles in the agave industry have caused a number of problems, from agave shortages to disruptions of bat populations, which are crucial pollinators. Beyond just tequila, demand for rare mezcals has led to overharvesting of wild agave varieties. When shopping for any agave spirit, seek out bottles bearing a “Bat Friendly” label certifying their producers’ commitment to letting five percent of their agaves flower, thus allowing bats to work their seed-spreading magic. 

The post The 10 Best Tequilas Are Worth Savoring appeared first on Saveur.

Some of the world’s greatest dishes demand a nip of wine or spirits to reach their full potential. Welcome to Splash in the Pan, where writer and drinks expert Tammie Teclemariam teaches you how to bring them to life.

Few spirits are as inspirational as mezcal, whose cryptic flavor permutations are attributable to agave type, terroir, and the mezcalero’s training. Grain spirits like whiskey strive for a consistent outcome with each bottling. However, with mezcal, the better you know it, the harder it is to generalize, because at its best, the agave distillate is unexpected. It can be as intricate as wine, something to learn bottle by bottle, and to celebrate the variables on their own terms rather than seeking a paragon of mezcal perfection. 

Although mezcal and tequila share the same base material—agave—the former is far more flavorful than its more commercially successful, and industrialized, cousin. Consider that even super-premium tequila is mostly consumed in cocktails or shots, while nice mezcal is almost always sipped neat and with reverence. Often the difference is reduced to “mezcal is smoky, and tequila is not,” but even that oversimplification is not always the case. Most tequila has been standardized to a fault, largely due to its decades-long global popularity. In the small but booming mezcal industry, there is an ongoing campaign to preserve the traditional modes of production that keep this beverage special. 

Mezcal is also the rare spirit with a strong affinity to food. Where icy sips of vodka function merely as a palate cleanser between oily bites of fish, mezcal resonates with herbs, meat, fruit, and spices, because it has so much complexity of its own. But mezcal is more famously consumed alongside, rather than in food, so I reached out to a couple friends who work with the spirit to see if they knew of any culinary uses: Noah Arenstein, a bartender and restaurant manager in Las Vegas, and Tess Rose Lampert, author of the forthcoming book, Mezcal & Tequila Companion.

Among ideas for marinades, salsa borracha, and stewed fruit, they each suggested aguachile, a chilled Mexican seafood dish from Sinaloa and Sonora. Both states produce agave spirits, but Sinaloa is part of the Mezcal Denomination of Origin. (The comparable spirit produced in Sonora is called bacanora.) Typically, aguachile is raw, fresh fish or shellfish served in an ice-cold broth of blended hot green peppers, cilantro, and lime juice, garnished with cucumber. Since those are all flavors that perform well in cocktails, adding mezcal seemed like a natural fit, especially since a serving of aguachile leaves you with an abundance of juice to drink after eating the cold, marinated fish. 

Because I chose to work with scallops, which are delicate and sweet, I left out the serrano or jalapeño, instead letting the liquor bring its own kind of heat. I tried using two different mezcals, both made from espadin-type agave under the Nuestra Soledad label, which offers expressions from six different regions, all of which taste vastly different, from the Santa Maria Zoquitlán—which is evocative of the microclimate where mezcalero Jose Parada Valera plants mango, passion fruit, and watermelon—to the brand’s latest, hyper-limited San Balthazar release. 

For my aguachile, I tried the version from Ejutla, which is redolent of the green pepper flavor I was looking for, as well as one from San Luis del Rio, where the agave is grown at a particularly high elevation and smoked with rich and savory local mesquite. Both mezcals were delicious and distinct in the dish, showcasing the character of the spirit without overpowering the gentle flavor of the shellfish.

I finished my aguachile with a drizzle of Styrian pumpkin seed oil, which is earthy and roasted—just like the agave used in the mezcal—and a sprinkle of crunchy spiced pumpkin seeds, for a pop of hot chile flavor to help the dish live up to its name. 

When drinking mezcal, you’re supposed to toast by saying “Stigibeu,” a Zapotec word that acknowledges the life force around us. That same vibrant energy is the mystery captured in every good bottle, and why it’s impossible to identify a “right” or “wrong” version—in aguachile or in your glass. You just have to embrace each one for what it is.

The post Make Your Scallops Sing with a Shot of Mezcal appeared first on Saveur.

Tinegroni

The Malibu

Watermelon-Basil Cocktail

Bala de Canon

Boston Tea Party

Tomato and Orange Sangrita

Romero and Julieta

Calavera Catrina

Strawberry Cachaça Shake

The Soul Train

Smoked Lemon-Lime-Ade

Cilantro, Chile, and Pineapple Sangrita

Lavender Paloma

The post 14 Tequila Cocktails That Aren’t Margaritas appeared first on Saveur.

Juan Gallardo Thurlow is a jolly figure in a coral-colored linen shirt. He lends heft to his statements with sustained eye contact and follows them with a wink, like your grandfather, like your uncle, like this stranger who I’ve just joined for dinner. To my left, his wife Gela tells me about the bougainvilleas in Jalisco, and how the orange ones are more difficult to grow—she doesn’t know why, she just knows it’s true. Conversation drifts, as it’s wont to do here in Guadalajara, to tequila: “For years now, it’s all I drink,” Gela says. “Nothing else will do.”

An industrious businessman from a prominent Mexican family, Gallardo has a diverse array of interests: He has served as both the CEO of a company that processes much of Mexico’s sugarcane and molasses, and as the director of a company that distributes all of the country’s Pepsi products; he has created a foundation to provide aspiring college graduates in Mexico City with financial scholarship; and, descending three stories into the hillside behind his Guadalajara home, he has devised an elaborate Japanese garden, a collaboration with a man he happened to meet one day at a local bank. “The garden represents a journey,” he says, gesturing toward a crashing waterfall that slowly meanders down a winding path before coming to rest in a tranquil pool.

Another such serendipitous encounter led Gallardo to some influential folks at French spirits group Moët Hennessy—among them Trent Fraser, former Vice President of champagne label Dom Perignon. As the friendship blossomed, a collaboration seemed inevitable, and a discreet inquiry was made: How might Moët Hennessy, overseer of prestigious brands like Dom and Krug and Veuve Clicquot, break into the tequila industry? And would Gallardo help?

“Project Blue,” as it was known then, was a secretive venture. Gallardo was an enthusiastic partner, and had the resources, recognition, and local connections to pull it off, but Fraser had another case to make: He had to prove to the folks at Moët Hennessy that not only was tequila a spirit worthy of their their investment, but that he could make one that would fit into their world-class collection.

Fraser spent more than 20 months exploring the Jalisco region of Mexico, the state believed to be the birthplace of tequila, searching for a distillery that could become the future home of this new operation. He and Gallardo met with local distillers and recruited artisans with deep ties to Jalisco’s tequila history, including Ana Maria Romero Mena, one of the industry’s most widely respected tequila experts, who was hired to develop the two unique blends that would ultimately make up the brand’s portfolio. Author of The Aromas of Tequila: The Art of Tasting and an influential maestra tequilera with some radical new ideas, there was no one better for the job.

Fraser ultimately found a small, run-down distillery that was barely producing anything, just outside the city of Tequila, from which the spirit took its name. The distillery was nestled in the shadow of the Volcán de Tequila, a volcano that erupted some 200,000 odd years ago, transforming the Mexican landscape and infusing the local soil with igneous rock and ash. After a complete overhaul of the distillery, they got it up and running and purchased some nearby land to plant agave of their own. It was given the name Volcán De Mi Tierra, an expression that (idiomatically) translates to “land of the volcano.”

But all the while, there remained the question of the tequila itself. How could a French beverage group, one famous for its champagnes and cognacs, oversee the making of a spirit that both impressed its tastemakers and paid homage to its centuries-old Mexican heritage? With Romero Mena at the wheel, they were able to prove that making tequila and making champagne—both of which involve the meticulous cultivation of a single plant to create the perfect expression of a region’s terroir—were not as different as they seemed.

“We had all these amazing noses at the table,” says Gallardo, referring to the time the leaders of Moët Hennessy’s spirit brands visited Jalisco to sample the early expressions of Romero Mena’s tequila. “Glenmorangie, Hennessy, Dom [Perignon], all of them.” It was imperative that the company’s significant talent, known for identifying and cultivating sublime flavors in their respective products, understood the subtlety of flavor that could come from tequila, how dramatically the terroir, the roasting process, the ferment, and the distillation could affect the final product—and, how they could manipulate each of these factors to reach what they believed was the ultimate distillation of the Mexican landscape.

Romero Mena supervised 177 unique trials before finally settling on the one that would ultimately become Volcan’s “Blanco” tequila. But to understand what makes it so special, a quick lesson in tequila production is in order.

How Do You Make Tequila?

All tequila starts with blue agave, one of hundreds of species of the agave plant that flourishes across Mexico. Mezcal is the blanket term for any spirit distilled from agave plants, and has been made in Mexico for centuries, but tequila has become its own designation, ever since the Mexican government created a “Declaration for the Protection of the Appellation of Origin” for it in 1997, ensuring that any product sold as “tequila” must be made in the state of Jalisco (or a few restricted outlying counties), and be made primarily from blue agave. Even with the official name of “tequila,” a good portion of a tequila’s must, or mosto, (the liquid fermented before distilling) can be made of other ingredients; just 51% has to be blue agave. Further distinctions, like “100% pure agave” are used when the ferment can be confirmed by the authorities to be made entirely from blue agave. For some context, Jose Cuervo’s ubiquitous line of “Especial” tequilas are mixtos, made from blue agave supplemented with sugarcane. Their “Tradicional” line is certified “100% de agave” and retails for about twice as much.

But while the official distinctions end there (aside from age designations like joven [young], reposado [rested], and anejo [old]), dramatic variability can exist even between 100% agave tequilas, and can be the result of dozens of factors including, just to name a few, the age of the agave plants, how they’re roasted, and the soil in which their grown. Agave grown in the highlands, for example, in iron-rich red volcanic soil, tends to have a lower fiber density than other agave plants, which causes them to carry more moisture, providing more pronounced floral, fruity flavors. Lowlands agave (which still grow at a dizzying 3,800 feet above sea level) tends to carry more herbaceous, grassy flavors, largely a result of higher temperatures and more intense sunlight. This is where the French champagne sensibility comes in: Instead of sourcing one single variety of agave, Romero Mena made use of both highland and lowland varieties—roasting, juicing, fermenting, and distilling them entirely separately before blending the resulting spirits to perfection. To a sommelier, the idea might seem rather obvious, but Romero Mena’s approach is a first in Mexico’s tequila industry: No tequila on the mass market has ever used this model before.

“We went through 177 unique trials,” says Fraser, now Volcan’s CEO. “The final version actually ended up using champagne yeast in the fermentation. Most people think that’s because we’re so known for champagne—Dom and Moët and so on—but it’s just because of those 177 attempts, it was the absolute best. And there was no way we were going to put a product out on the market until it was consistently the best.”

But Romero Mena’s vision went even further: Not only would they pull plants from both of the two agave-growing regions, but each plant would have to be individually processed, a laborious and expensive effort that would ensure that only the most desirable components of each plant make it into the fermentation. The piña, the massive heart of a mature agave plant, develops unique flavor compounds as it roasts. Many makers use the whole plant, but Volcán’s approach focuses entirely on the piña, which requires master jimadors, as the agave harvesters are known, to deftly strip each plant of its dozens of dense, swordlike leaves. The leaves, they found, produced too many “green” flavors when roasted, which they felt muddled the elegance of the expression of the piña itself. Outside the distillery, with the agave fields rolling away behind him, master jimador Joaquín Parra Ortega expertly eviscerates the leaves from a 175-pound agave plant, reducing the monstrous growth, which has spent nearly 8 years maturing, to an ovoid orb the size of a prize-winning pumpkin.

The trimmed piñas are then roasted: The lowlands piñas go into a traditional horno, a brick oven where they’ll bake low and slow for 44 hours, concentrating the sugars and developing deep caramel flavors. Still warm from the oven, a shred of the roasted piña’s fibrous flesh has the sticky sweetness of sugar cane and, after a taste, leaves a juicy trail dripping down my arm. The highlands piñas go into an autoclave, where they cook at a higher temperature for only 12 hours, which helps to emphasize its lofty floral aromas. The lowlands agave, which makes up 75% of Volcán’s tequila ferment, is pressed on a tahona, a massive set of stone wheels dragged in a circle repeatedly, until the soft, fleshy piñas are reduced to a pulp. The liquid is siphoned off into tanks to ferment—with a proprietary champagne yeast for the highlands and a rum yeast for the lowlands—while the fibrous pulp is piled in heaps to dry, destined to return to the soil and provide nutrients for the next generation. The mosto is distilled just twice, lest it lose too much of its delicately crafted flavors, and blended, according to Romena Mena’s precise recipe, before proceeding to a tiny machine where it is bottled just four bottles at a time.

Tequila has been made in much the same way for hundreds of years in Mexico, but while Volcán has managed to innovate on the genre, it’s still, at its heart, a pure expression of the art. Back at Gallardo’s home, the jacaranda trees shaking in the breeze, a bottle appears on the table. “They say it’s quite healthy for you too,” he intones playfully. Murmurs of assent ripple around the table; true or not, we’re glad for the excuse to enjoy another glass.

The post What Happens When You Treat Making Tequila Like Champagne appeared first on Saveur.

When you think of tequila, bygone college days might come to mind. Maybe you think of the classic “one tequila, two tequila” rhyme, or perhaps you try not to think of anything because your last night out with Jose Cuervo left you with only one shoe and a camera full of ill-advised dancing selfies.

The paleta shot is here to the rescue.

Named for the Mexican candy, a watermelon lollipop covered in chile powder, you can find it throughout southern Texas and northern Mexico along the border. Kids from my middle school would get paleta candies from a convenience store across the street and would snack on them all day long. At that age, I wasn’t a fan of the spicy red powder combined with the tart hard candy. Truthfully, I’m still not really a fan, but I’d have one now just out of homesickness and nostalgia (the shot, however, I’d drink till the sun comes up).

Michelle Fierro of The Black Orchid Lounge in El Paso, Texas tells us that nobody knows who invented the shot, but the candy has been around for around 40 years, and the shot appeared around 10 years ago. She also says there are different takes on it in different parts of El Paso.

To illustrate this, she sets out five glasses to prepare the shot five different ways. The one served at The Black Orchid features tequila, mango and strawberry juice, some lime and Tabasco, and a Tajin-lined rim (pro tip: fresh juice will help you avoid a sugary hangover). The next version comes with watermelon schnapps. An east side El Paso take on the shot involves rum, and the next one has vodka. Then, Fierro whipped up a mezcal special, which was nontraditional but a favorite—the smoky taste was a perfect complement to the watermelon.

They’re all fruity, spicy, and a perfect throwback to bygone candy and shot-pulling days.

The post The Sweet and Spicy Tequila Shot You’ll Only Find on the Mexican Border appeared first on Saveur.

Now that it’s finally legal for Americans to travel to Cuba again, it seems like everyone is eyeballing plane fares to Havana. However, one bar in Scottsdale, Arizona, is offering a quicker trip: a Cuba-themed pop-up.

Held only two nights a week, Counter Intuitive may be the world’s quirkiest—and most ambitious—pop-up bar. Developed by restaurateur Peter Kasperski and helmed by bartender Jason Asher, the bar changes its theme and entire cocktail menu every quarter, not unlike the revolving themed iterations at Grant Achatz’s Next in Chicago. Cuba represents chapter two of Kasperski and Asher’s experiment. “Chapter 1” celebrated New Orleans; come October, “Chapter 3” will bring a graffiti’d Shanghai to the spot.

“The bone structure stays the same,” Asher explains, “but the blood that runs through the place—the artwork, the drinks—changes every four months.” And right now, that lifeblood is rum, and elaborate, rum-soaked cocktails that reference mid-century Cuba.

Specifically, the focus is on Cuba in 1962, centered around a trip that then-81-year-old artist Pablo Picasso was rumored to have taken to the country. The bar is set up for guests to soak in “what his senses experienced,” as interpreted through Cuban street food “from Cubanos to mafongo,” entertainment such as dice games, Cuban music, and a cigar patio, and of course, plenty of rum. Picasso fans will note plenty of Cubist-inspired artwork on the walls plus occasional references in the glass, as in the cheeky “Banana Cubed” cocktail.

Asher’s Walking Stick cocktail is made with equal parts rich Demerara rum from Guyana—Cuban rum, of course, is still hard to come by in the U.S.—and smoky mezcal. It seems like an unlikely pairing, but they “come together as a unified spirit,” Asher insists.

The drink also throws oblique glances at Negroni Week, which wrapped the first week of June, just prior to the launch of the Cuba menu, and April’s 100th anniversary of the Singapore Sling, by including key ingredients from each iconic cocktail: Campari and Cherry Heering, respectively. It’s all then tied together with lime and cinnamon-spiked syrup for a tropical vibe.

Even the name nods to rum, a distillate made from sugar cane. “After all, another name for cane is a walking stick,” Asher notes.

Get the recipe for the Walking Stick »

Counter Intuitive
“Chapter 2: the alleged trip to Cuba” runs through mid-October.
7133 E. Stetson Drive
Scottsdale, AZ
(480) 946-3111
Open Fridays and Saturdays only, from 10PM-2AM

The post Behind the Recipe: Jason Asher’s Walking Stick appeared first on Saveur.

In the remote mountain villages of the Mexican state of Jalisco, local taberneros have long made a bootleg mezcal called raicilla. Produced in tiny batches in rustic open-air facilities, raicilla is distilled from agave varieties, made smoky from roasting in underground pits and adobe ovens. Finally, it’s available in the U.S. La Venenosa—”the venomous”—is a line of four raicillas from four Jalisco villages. One is like sipping the desert, another like savoring funky cheese, but all are wilder than any mezcal you’ve ever tasted. ($100; drinkupny.com)

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