Spirit · Spirit-forward
Sipping Mezcal
Smoke, earth, and centuries of Oaxacan craft. Drink it slow, with respect.
How to order it: Served with orange slices and sal de gusano. Kiss it, don't shoot it.
Flavor profile
The proper serve
- 2 oz, neat, room temperature
- Traditional copita or veladora
- Orange slices with sal de gusano
- Kiss it, don't shoot it
- Alternate sips and citrus
The story
Mezcal belongs to Oaxaca the way peat belongs to Islay — other regions make it, but one place defines it. Agave hearts are roasted for days in earthen pits over wood and hot stones, which is where the smoke comes from, then crushed, fermented, and distilled in small village palenques, often by families who have done this for generations. Where tequila uses one agave, mezcal draws on many, from workhorse espadín to wild varieties that take decades to mature. Once dismissed as tequila's rustic cousin, it is now the spirit world's object of pilgrimage. The Oaxacan saying covers every contingency: para todo mal, mezcal; para todo bien, también — for everything bad, mezcal; for everything good, the same.
Adjacent pours